Zainab Ahmed, three ministers to attend as governors meet on Tuesday 

The 36 state governors will host a meeting on Tuesday to discuss economic issues. 

The meeting, which will be held virtually, will begin at 2 pm. 

Asishana Bayo Okauru, director-general of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), said three ministers would address the governors at the meeting. 

“The economy will dominate the meeting as the Minister of Finance, Budget and Planning Hajiya Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed and the World Bank led by its Country Director, Dr Shubham Chadhuri and other key stakeholders in the economic sector make presentations,” Okauru said.

Okauru said the meeting was scheduled to take place “last Wednesday, but due to some political exigencies, which resulted in the absence of many APC governors, it had to be postponed till tomorrow, Tuesday, 25th of July”.

“This postponement was occasioned by the need for the Finance Minister to consult with Governors on the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTTF) 2023-2025 before presenting her proposals at the Federal Executive Council on Wednesday,” he said. 

“Other presentations include the state onboarding Process for the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES) Effectiveness by the Minister for Agriculture, Dr. Mohammad Mahmood Abubakar.”

The DG added that governors “are also expected to deliberate on and endorse the Primary Healthcare Challenge Fund which will be presented by the officials of NPHCDA and UNICEF”.

She said Osagie Ehanire, minister of health, is also expected to make a presentation on the Global Fund.

“All these will be preceded by the Chairman and Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi’s opening remarks, which usually sets the tone for the issues of the day,” Okauru added.

A report showed that the cost of servicing debt surpassed the FG’s retained revenue by N310 billion in the first four months of 2022.