State governors meet in Abuja

The Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, and Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed have arrived at the Nigeria Governors’ Forum Head Office in Abuja for the group’s meeting.

Other governors who have arrived at the meeting venue include Anambra State Governor, Professor Charles Soludo, Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori and Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang.

Under the leadership of the Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, the NGF is expected to address issues such as the anticipated nationwide protests, minimum wage, and local government autonomy, among other topics.

Recall that on July 11, the Supreme Court confirmed the financial independence of Nigeria’s 774 local governments.

In a unanimous decision by its seven-member panel, the Supreme Court upheld the federal government’s case to enhance the autonomy of local governments in the country.

On July 18, President Bola Tinubu approved a new minimum wage of N70,000 for Nigerian workers and committed to reviewing the national minimum wage law every three years.

As a result, on Tuesday, the Senate passed the 2024 National Minimum Wage Amendment Bill.

Also, several youth organisations are planning nationwide protests starting on August 1, 2024, in response to economic conditions, insecurity, and poor governance.

The 36 state governors, who have not met since these developments, are expected to discuss these issues extensively and state their position at the end of the meeting.