Federal Government has, through the National Economic Council, NEC, ratified the nomination of six state governors as members of the Board of Niger Delta Power Holding Company, NDPHC.
This was announced at the 142nd NEC meeting presided over by Vice President Kashim Shettima, who is the chairman of the council.
The governors, representing the six geopolitical zones, are Babagana Zulum of Borno, Dikko Radda of
Katsina, Hope Uzodinma of Imo, Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara and Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom States.
The meeting also saw the presentation of key updates and recommendations from various ad hoc committees.
Notable among them was the ad-hoc Committee on Flood, Erosion, Drought and Desertification (Mitigation, Adaptation, Preparedness and Response) presented by the governor of Kogi State, Ahmed Usman Ododo, which called for the revitalisation of State Emergency Management Agencies, SEMAs, and improved coordination between different levels of government.
On update from NEC ad-hoc Committee on Economic Affairs presented by governor of Kwara State, Alhaji AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, the council resolved that the committee aligns its mandate with the National Economic Management Team, NEMT, to come up with robust solutions to the nation’s economic challenges.
The committee is working closely with states to address challenges related to foreign exchange loan facilities and fuel pricing.
The ad-hoc Committee on Crude Oil Theft Prevention and Control, chaired by Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State, presented key recommendations as part of interim measures to improve security at oil and gas terminals and enhance regulatory oversight in the sector.
Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde was co-opted into the committee as a subject matter expert, just as the committee was mandated to submit its final report to council within one month.
The council also resolved to adopt the recommendations of the committee’s report on implementation and provision of funds to states and relevant MDAs to address the problems.
The council also received updates on the nation’s financial standing by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun, with the Excess Crude Account reported at $473,754.57, the Stabilization Account at N28,738,722,369.83, and the Natural Resources fund at N53,891,102,650.71.
It also resolved that the vice president, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, and the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning meet on Monday to strategise on funding sources to mitigate the climate challenges facing the states.
In a move to bolster food security, Vice President Shettima announced the presidential approval for the operationalisation of the Presidential Food System Coordinating Unit, tasked with developing robust economic solutions for the country’s food system.
Earlier in his opening remarks, Shettima linked the boost in Nigeria’s economic outlook to the financial prudence and transparency framework adopted by President Bola Tinubu.
He stated: “Again, we highlighted Nigeria’s improved credit outlook by Fitch Ratings, owing to Mr. President’s transparency and effective financial management to further the nation’s economic progress.
The outcome of the meeting will be presented to the president on Tuesday, according to a statement by
Senior Special Assistant to the president on Media & Communications, Office of The Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha.
