The 36 state governors, under the aegis of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), are arriving for a marathon meeting to brainstorm on the National Minimum Wage, as being discussed at the moment by Tripartite Committee on the National Minimum Wage.
The governors are meeting at the National Secretariat of the NGF in Abuja to discuss the update on the issue and to be on the same page with one another.
Other issues that form the agenda at the meeting are local government autonomy as well as NC-CARES disbursement to the States.
Recall that the federal government last month instituted a legal action against the governors of the 36 states of the Federation at the Supreme Court over alleged misconduct in the administration of Local Government Areas, LGAs.
FG, in the suit marked: SC/CV/343/2024, which was filed by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, is seeking full autonomy for all LGAs in the country as the third tier of government.
It specifically prayed the apex court to issue an order prohibiting state governors from embarking on the unilateral, arbitrary, and unlawful dissolution of democratically elected local government leaders.
As well as for an order permitting the funds standing in the credits of local governments to be directly channelled to them from the Federation Account in line with the provisions of the Constitution as against the alleged unlawful joint accounts created by governors.
Besides, FG prayed the Supreme Court for an order, stopping governors from further constituting Caretaker Committees to run the affairs of local governments as against the constitutionally recognised and guaranteed democratic system.
Already on ground for the meeting are the governors of Oyo, Zamfara, Anambra, Delta, and Gombe States.
Others are the Deputy Governors of Akwa Ibom and Borno States.
The items on the agenda for the physical meeting are: Chairman’s Welcome Remarks; Minutes of the Last Meeting; Matters Arising/ Chairman’s Briefs, Local Government Autonomy Update ll; ECA, PPT & Royalties Accounts Reconciliation/Debt Net-Off — Update and Tripartite Committee on the National Minimum Wage — Update; Review of NEC Agenda.
Others are updates by NGF Secretariat—Ag. Director General; Program Updates, Health/HCD F. Presentations. World Bank NG-CARES, SABER, Nigeria for Women)—Taimur Samad, Ag.Country; Presidential—Minister and AOB.
