₦airaland Forum

Regional economic integration, food production and regional security are the main items that top the agenda at the meeting of the South-West Governors’ Forum held in Lagos on Monday.

At the meeting held behind closed doors in Alausa, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the host, was unanimously elected to lead the Forum as chairman.



Sanwo-Olu stepped into the position, following the vacancy occasioned by the death of the former Governor of Ondo State, Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN, who chaired the regional caucus.

Governors Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo), Ademola Adeleke (Osun), Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti) and Sanwo-Olu (Lagos) were all physically present at the meeting, which lasted for four hours. They all paid their last respects to the memory of the late Akeredolu, who passed away last December.

The Forum reviewed security across the region, pointing out that South-West had been relatively peaceful in the Southern part of the country. They, however, used to platform to renew their call for creation of State Police to further strengthen safety in the region.

They agreed on the need to forge a security cooperation in order to enhance economic development and free movement within the region.


The Governors also called for more collaboration between security agencies and Western Nigeria Security Network, known as Amotekun Corps.

The Forum commended the House of Representatives and members of the Southwest caucus in the National Assembly for their efforts at passing the South-West Development Commission Bill, urging the upper chamber of the federal parliament to speed up the bill passage.


To expand food production and agricultural development, the Forum also directed their respective States’ Commissioners for Agriculture to immediately come together and develop a comprehensive agricultural template that would leverage on each State’s comparative advantage.

Rising from the meeting, the Forum, through its chairman, Governor Sanwo-Olu, read the 11-point resolution adopted in the communique signed by all the six Governors.

Sanwo-Olu said: The Southwest Governors’ Forum, at its meeting today, June 10, 2024, deliberated extensively on contemporary issues in the South-West States and resolved to commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR on the groundbreaking of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road, and the proposed Lagos to Sokoto road. We, however, encourage the Federal Government to rehabilitate other federal infrastructure 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. We reaffirm our full support for State Police. We acknowledge the efforts of the Federal Government to strengthen food security. We decide that Commissioners for Agriculture of all the South-West states should begin to meet and set up a working template, which will ensure collaboration based on each State’s comparative advantage.”

On lingering disagreement on Minimum Wage, the Forum said it was in support of the efforts of the Federal Government, Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and the Organised Private Sector to resolve the wage dispute, while urging continued engagement with the Labour Union.

The Governors said they believed the outcome of the negotiations for better wages would reflect true fiscal federalism.

The Forum hailed the Federal Government’s efforts on exploration policies on mineral resources, but called for collaboration with States in the process to grant leases to investors.

The South-West Governors adopted a popular song composed by Afenifere, a Yoruba socio-cultural group, titled: “Ise wa fun ile wa”, as common anthem across the six States. They condemned, in strong terms, nefarious activities of a group of people agitating for Yoruba nation, stating that the region remained an integral part of the country.

“The Forum agrees to strengthen the DAWN Commission on operational efficiency and charges the Commission to focus on economic integration, cooperation and investment promotion of South-West states. To that end, each State is mandated to appoint a State focal person,” Sanwo-Olu said.

SpecialAdviser:
MNK is a lion hearted man who boldly demand what is in the mind of 80% Nigerians.

Everybody is tired of the contraception. Cowardice killing every other person to speak up.
Honestly we are not making progress.

ObaOfBeninNahMu:
ShinbuZor will be sad

ceejay10:
Gov Adeleke just want to dance. All this talk no concern am🤣🤣

100millionGoal:
We don the beg to separate Una long before u were born.

Wetin concern us with una little shenanigans? 😂

7upnigeria:
Lol, people that are getting killed in south Africa BUT CAN'T LEAVE are the ones that will leave Nigeria. You guys are just a group of ungrateful hypocrites. If igbos can leave all parts of Nigeria, close their shops in Alaba, computer village etc, Nigerians will start taking your Biafra serious.

100millionGoal:
When we fought war with u so we can go u didn't take us serious.

After we don build ourselves across Nigeria you want us to leave it and head back so you can rush and steal it just like your lazy ancestors...


Hehehe... It doesn't work that way my little Ronu friend 😂

If the topic of Biafra ever becomes a national concern and Nigeria agrees to separate... Everything to be signed and agreement passed will and must be supervised by foreign third parties to ensure you like your ancestors don't steal our wealth.

That is how division is done in 21 first century my little friend.


No free thing for you to thief again.


For your mind even if all Igbos just unanimously decide to travel back then Biafra will magically happen.... See mumu one use Igbo man head 😂

Godfullsam:
You faught a war and lost terribly, even the man that led your ancestors to the foolish war left them in the middle of the war and ran away only to come back and shamelessly contest an election in the same country and still lost terribly.
That is a huge sign of unseriousness young man.

For your information, nobody took your properties in the South west during the foolish Biafra war. Your belongings were returned to you with 20 pounds as jara to enable your lazy, weak and defeated ancestor start their miserable lives afresh.

If you are looking for people that stole your properties, go to SS.

Your lazy, weak and defeated ancestors don't have anything worth stealing in the SW.

flokii:
Where those 'ole olojukokoros' claiming Benin own Lagos, that Lagos won't be part of South West region?.
Na wetin thief eye dey see go end most of una. iku yin o ni da rara.

Usmanovic95:
For the knowledgeable ones here, I will love to know why the regional government was abolished and what do we stand to gain from it at this point in time.

Godfullsam:
You faught a war and lost terribly, even the man that led your ancestors to the foolish war left them in the middle of the war and ran away only to come back and shamelessly contest an election in the same country and still lost terribly.
That is a huge sign of unseriousness young man.

For your information, nobody took your properties in the South west during the foolish Biafra war. Your belongings were returned to you with 20 pounds as jara to enable your lazy, weak and defeated ancestor start their miserable lives afresh.

If you are looking for people that stole your properties, go to SS.

Your lazy, weak and defeated ancestors don't have anything worth stealing in the SW.

Alexis11:
Regionalism was abolished by Aguiyi Ironsi just to fulfill the age long talk that the Igbos must dominate the whole of Africa.

We were doing absolutely well by region until Aguiyi Ironsi got there and decided to fulfill the mission of "we must dominate everyone".

Regionalism is better because each region is able to manage their resources, build infrastructures without waiting for the Federal Government. The FG is weaker and more economic and administrative power is given to the regions.

100millionGoal:
And you had up to 60 years to bring it back.

If it was that good and Ironsi was wrong why took so long

Abi Ironsi held you hostage from the grave?

Alexis11:
Regionalism was abolished by Aguiyi Ironsi just to fulfill the age long talk that the Igbos must dominate the whole of Africa. We were doing absolutely well by region until he got there and decided to fulfill the mission of "we must dominate everyone". The same reason Azikiwe fought Awolowo for suggesting that cessation must be included in our constitution.

Regionalism is better because each region is able to manage their resources, build infrastructures without waiting for the Federal Government. The FG is weaker and more economic and administrative power is given to the regions.