Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has been elected the chairman of the South West Governors’ Forum.
Sanwo-Olu’s election took place yesterday during a closed-door meeting in Lagos. All six governors from the South West states attended it.
They include Dapo Abiodun, Ogun State; Lucky Ayedatiwa, Ondo State; Seyi Makinde Oyo State; Ademola Adeleke, Osun State; Abiodun Oyebanji, Ekiti State, and the host governor, Sanwo-Olu.
He succeeded the late Ondo State governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, who served as the forum’s chairman until his demise on December 27, 2023.
The meeting also paid last respects to Akeredolu and congratulated Ayedatiwa on his emergence as the state’s new governor and on winning the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket to contest the governorship position in November.
Reading the 11 points communiqué at the end of the meeting, which lasted about four hours, the new chairman of the forum said the meeting commended the administration of President Bola Tinubu for embarking on the construction of Lagos to Calabar coastal road and as well appealed to the federal government to rehabilitate all federal roads in the South West.
The governors commended members of the House of Representatives for passing the bill to create a Development Agenda for Western Nigeria, just as it urged the Senate to support the bill.
The meeting, however, said minimum wage shall reflect fiscal character, just as it called for economic integration among the six states that make up the zone.
As part of measures to improve the agricultural sector and promote food production in the South West, commissioners for Agriculture in the six states have been urged to collaborate with each state allowed to focus on areas of agriculture where she has comparative advantages.
The governors also adopted the Yoruba anthem “Ise wa fun ile wa” as the anthem to be adopted for the zone.
The governors also condemned the group of people agitating for the Yoruba nation, just as they disassociated themselves from it.
The communiqué read in part, ‘’The Forum unanimously nominated and adopted the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu as its Chairman.
‘’The forum paid its last respects to its late chairman of the South West Governors’ Forum, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu and also congratulated the new Governor of Ondo State, H.E Hon. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, also for winning the All Progressives Congress’s (APC’s) governorship ticket for the next election.
‘’The governors adopted Ise wa fun ile wa as South West Anthem.
‘’The meeting commends the House of Representatives and South West Caucus for their efforts at passing the South West Development Commission Bill and looks forward to its speedy passage by the Senate.
‘’The meeting commends Mr. President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on the groundbreaking of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road, the proposed Lagos to Sokoto road and encourages the Federal Government to rehabilitate other Federal roads in the region.
‘’On security, the forum commends the relative peace in the South West region and notes the collaboration between all security agencies and the Amotekun Corps. It reaffirms its full support for state police.
‘’On food security, the forum acknowledges the efforts of the federal government and decides that the Commissioners for Agriculture of all the States should begin to meet and set up a working template, which will ensure collaboration based on each state’s comparative advantage.’’
On minimum wage, they added that the “forum supports the efforts of the federal government, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and the organised private sector on their ongoing conversations with the labour union. We believe the outcome will reflect true fiscal federalism.’’
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