COVID-19: Governors Back N2.3trn Sustainability Plan

Governors of the 36 states have expressed support for the N2.3trn Economic Sustainability Plan of the Federal Government to tackle the challenges of the ravaging COVID -19.

They endorsed the plan at the 105th meeting of the National Economic Council on Thursday.

The session, which was presided over by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, was coordinated virtually from the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

As part of the new development, at least two state governors will join the Economic Sustainability Committee, which is also chaired by Osinbajo.

The VP made the disclosure while speaking shortly after the meeting rose.

“The governors had made a presentation at the NEC on how the states can collaborate effectively with the federal government on the implementation of the recently approved N2.3tn stimulus programme.

“The governors welcomed the plan and committed to working with the federal government. According to the Vice-President, possibly two state governors could join the committee for the implementation phase of the plan. He said such would be helpful and bring synergy”, a statement by Osinbajo’s media office said after the meeting.

It added that the governors also expressed willingness to be “actively involved in the process of executing projects in the plan, especially such projects based in the domains of respective states, in collaboration with other stakeholders and partners.”

Apart from the governors, ministers and heads of MDAs, including the CBN Governor (Mr. Godwin Emefiele) and the Group Managing Director of the NNPC (Mr. Mele Kyari), were in attendance.

Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-rufai, also spoke after the meeting, according to the statement released by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity (Office of the VP), Mr. Laolu Akande.

El-rufai chairs the Nigerian Governors Forum AdHoc Committee on the collaborative implementation of the NESP.

He praised the Osinbajo-led ESC “for a job well-done and noted that State governors were committed to the successful implementation of the plan.”

He stated, “In agriculture, each state is to make available 20 hectares of land for cultivation and with the contribution of lands from States, he added that governors will appreciate land clearance as an incentive.

“In mass housing, NEC welcomes the plan to build 300,000 housing units across the country with an average of ten thousand homes per state,” El-rufai noted while also calling for a nationwide mortgage system to support the plan.”

Another ahhoc committee chaired by the Governor of Delta State, Mr. Ifeanyi Okowa, had the assignment of working with the Presidential Task Force on COVID on behalf of the NGF.

The Okowa committee too presented a report, recommending that the Minister of Health should “ensure the continuous provision of all essential health services in-order to ensure that people do not die from other diseases needlessly.”

Meanwhile, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed reported to council the balances in the major government accounts.

In the Excess Crude Account, she said as of July 7, there was a balance of $ 72,406,952.48, while the Stabilisation Account had a balance of N40, 310,991,995.15.

In the Natural Resources Development Fund Account, Ahmed reported to council that the balance was N131, 598,414,041.89.