The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has pledged to partner with the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to improve electricity supply across the country.
The Chairman of the Forum and Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, announced this while reading the communiqué of the forum meeting held on Wednesday in Abuja.
Fayemi said that the governors received a presentation by the TCN at the meeting which highlighted issues around inadequate transmission and sought governors’ commitment to improving electricity supply in the country.
Speaking on the Federal Government’s resolution to recover N614 billion loan facility from 35 states of the federation, Fayemi said that they were ready to pay but there should be a reconciliation of account.
“If you borrow, you pay. We are never averse to payment of loans under the legal environment and we don’t want a situation that will put our financial system in jeopardy.
“However, governors believe that we are ready to pay, we also must ensure reconciliation of account as far as amounts of money owed to states may be concerned,” he said.
According to him, it is a storm in a teacup when we read about governors refusing to pay. We don’t have such an issue, we are ready to pay.
Earlier, Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning Mrs Zainab Ahmed had said that the Federal Government had resolved to recover N614 billion loan facility from 35 states of the federation.
The minister revealed this when she briefed State House correspondents on the meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC), presided by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, at the State House, Abuja.
Ahmed said that each of the affected 35 states received N17.5 billion as bailout from the federal government.
She said that the council had already agreed to constitute a team to finalise modalities for commencement of repayment of the loan facility.
Fayemi also said that the forum received a presentation from Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMet), advising that the country should expect above-average rainfall which had already caused severe flooding in several states.
He added that the forum also received a briefing on meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari and from the Inspector-General of Police “on the unlawful invasion” of some governors’ residences.
He said that this was a direct violation of the immunity of the Governors.
“The forum was briefed by the chairman of the meeting between the forum and the Nigeria Union of Journalist (NUJ), the governors’ pledged to continue to collaborate with journalists.
”This collaboration would centre around the issues of security particularly when they work in hostile environments.
“The forum received a briefing on the status of the world bank assisted State Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability Programme for results (SFTAS).
“The team from the World Bank assured the forum that all assessments now imply that states have improved in transparency ratings over the last quarter,” he said.
Fayemi said that the forum also received the new Country Director of the World Bank, Mr Shubham Chaudhuri, whose tour of duty would begin on Oct. 1.
Chaudhuri would replace Ben Masoud after his four-year tenure in Nigeria.
(NAN)