President Bola Tinubu, accompanied by Vice President Kashim Shettima, convened a critical session with all 36 state governors and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
The high-level gathering, convened at the State House in Abuja on Thursday, focused on addressing pressing issues including the surge in food prices, escalating insecurity, and the backlog of salary and gratuity payments owed to workers, retirees, and pensioners.
According to a statement released by Temitope Ajayi, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, and Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, the meeting yielded significant outcomes.
Here are the key highlights from the deliberations:
1. Security Measures: President Tinubu outlined three strategic initiatives to combat insecurity:
- Enhancing police recruitment to bolster law enforcement.
• Collaborating with the National Assembly and state governments to establish state police forces.
• Empowering Forest Rangers and equipping them to safeguard all forested areas from criminal activities.
2. Food Security: Emphasizing the need to ramp up local food production, Tinubu urged collaboration between state and federal authorities, discouraging reliance on food imports and advocating for the expansion of domestic agricultural output.
3. Combatting Food Hoarding: Drawing attention to Kano State’s approach, Tinubu called for proactive measures against food hoarding by implementing strict monitoring of warehouses nationwide to prevent price manipulation by merchants.
4. Livestock Development: Governors were tasked with prioritizing livestock development, particularly in poultry and fishing sectors, within their respective states.
5. Clearing Salary Arrears: President Tinubu urged governors to settle outstanding salary payments and gratuities to inject liquidity into the economy, emphasizing prudent fiscal management.
6. Youth Empowerment: Acknowledging the importance of engaging the youth productively, Tinubu urged governors to create more economic opportunities to curb unemployment.
The collaborative efforts and directives outlined in the meeting aim to address the multifaceted challenges facing the nation and foster sustainable economic growth and development.
