The Risk Communication on Covid19, the arm of the PTF which strives assiduously to further educate the Nigerian public on the existence and dangers of the Corona Virus, will take centre stage tomorrow, Wednesday 22nd July, 2020, when the National Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force on the Covid19 pandemic, Dr Sani Aliyu, joins governors on the 13th Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) Teleconference Meeting which takes place in its regular virtual format.
The meeting which opens with the chairman’s remarks commences at 2 pm.
The Chairman of the Forum and Governor of Ekiti State, Dr John Kayode Fayemi will brief the governors on his key activities on behalf of the Forum, in the last fortnight, and open it up for deliberation.
The invitation sent out to all the Governors by the Director General of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Mr Asishana Bayo Okauru, states that the Chairman would be giving the Governors an update on the Covid19 pandemic, the States Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability Program, SFTAS, the recently struck partnership between the Forum and the Central Bank of Nigeria CBN on agriculture, his, Dr Fayemi’s, recent meeting with the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, and another partnership between the Forum and the UNDP, which revolves mainly around Gender-Based Violence, among many others.
Other issues surrounding the Covid19 pandemic which will be put on the table for the governors to debate include the Federal Government support to states.
The Governor of Delta State, and Head of the NGF subcommittee on the Presidential Task Force on the pandemic, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, will also brief the Forum on the progress being made by the Task Force and whether or not the much required synergy between the Federal and subnational governments is yielding any fruits.
This 13th meeting which looks heavy on three sectors, namely Health, the Economy and Agriculture will accommodate three presentations. It is expected that the Governors will deliberate over the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund, Loans to states from the CBN, the Infrastructure refund to about five states and PAYE 2.
Apart from the presentation by Dr Sani Aliyu, Ms. Yue Man Lee of the World Bank will make a presentation on the deadlines and verification of the SFTAS program in the states before Mr Olatunde Akande, the NGF Agric Advisor, takes the stage for a presentation on the Anchor Borrowers program that he is midwifing, in which the NGF is partnering with the Central Bank as a facilitator.
The virtual meeting is expected to last about 5 hours.
abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo
Head, Media and Public Affairs
Nigeria Governors’ Forum Secretariat
+234(0)9 2920025; (0)9 2920026
+234 (0) 08039567128, +234 08056180060
