Details Of Meeting Between President Tinubu And APC Governors Emerge

President Bola Tinubu, on Friday, held a meeting with Governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) under the auspices of the Progressives Governors’ Forum.

The meeting took place at the Aso Rock Villa in Abuja.

The meeting touched on areas including security, national cohesion, agriculture, and the welfare of citizens.

During the meeting, President Tinubu charged the Governors to develop and implement policies which would be beneficial to the people of Nigeria.

According to a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, President Tinubu also told the governors to work towards healing and unifying the country by ensuring a collective national vision and channelling energy and resources into nation-building.

“You can convert people. You can appeal to people to come to your side,’’ he stated.

The President added that Nigeria has no reason to be poor as the country is blessed with an abundance of human, natural, and material resources which makes it an aberration for it to be struggling with a dearth of quality infrastructure, quality education, and world-class health facilities.

He urged the Governors to join him in the task of re-engineering the country for inclusivity, effectiveness, and efficiency.

“We have no reason to be poor. Looking back on where we are coming from, where we have been, why we are facing infrastructural decay, a lack of quality and comprehensive education, as well as a lack of health facilities. We are not a cursed country, but blessed,’’ the President said.

President Tinubu asked the governors to come up with a framework that would make the school-feeding programme more comprehensive and successful across all states of the federation, taking into consideration the peculiarities of each locality, but working towards having all children in school.

He said: “We have children of school age who are out of school. The way to promote education is to get all governors, including the opposition governors, involved in the school feeding programme. Please, take it seriously.

“We should not measure the children as statistics. We should measure their return to classrooms as our achievement. We should see economic growth in terms of value and empowerment. We should set up a committee to look into the methods. I am ready to invest in school feeding.”

President Tinubu disclosed that the implementation of the school-feeding programme would encourage more investments in agriculture, particularly in livestock farming and dairy, adding that the former Kano State Governor and APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, had already worked on a proposal that would be shared for input and implementation.

Tinubu equally congratulated the Governor of Borno State, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, for restoring irrigation systems that provide water for the year-long cultivation of crops.

On security, the President disclosed that the government was considering the deployment of forest guards, with better training, modern technological gadgets and weapons to strengthen security, and that the solid mineral and marine economic sectors will also be secured by special marine police.

“We have a big marine economy, and I do not see why we should not have the marine police. We will have the same in solid minerals to keep the scavengers away. I am ready to invest in security. We will buy our own minerals and keep them in reserves, especially gold, which will be effective in our foreign exchange reserve,’’ the President told the governors.

The Governor of Imo State and Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, Hope Uzodinma, promised that the Governors would continue to support the policies of the President.

He also appreciated the President for providing financial intervention and support to the Governors.

“We will continue to support you as your able ambassadors, willing ambassadors, and capable ambassadors,’’ Governor Uzodinma said.