Chibuike Amaechi,
Chuks Okocha
Governors of the 36 states of the federation will today meet to discuss the proposal by the Federal Government on whether to withdraw or not the suit on on Excess Crude pending at the Supreme Court.
The meeting, summoned by the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, Hon. Chibuike Amaechi, will be addressed by the Minister of National Planning, Dr. Shamsudeen Usman and other ministers.
THISDAY gathered that the governors would also discuss other constitutional issues like state police, demand for increase in the revenue sharing and the security challenges in the country.
According to a source that spoke to THISDAY on the meeting, “the Federal Government has made proposal to the governors on the need to withdraw the suit from the Supreme Court and adopt dialogue in the final resolution of the matter.”
The meeting will also receive a report from a committee headed by the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Godswill Akpabio.
The committee is on peer review mechanism and good governance.
Participants at the meeting, expected to hold at the Rivers State Governor’s lodge at 8.p.m would also discussed and adopted the planned N5,000 to be introduced soon by Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
At today’s meeting, the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, is expected to brief the governors on his proposed good governance tour, even as presentations will be received from the Code of Conduct Bureau (CBB).
The meeting, the source said, though is on excess crude ahead of the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting where they will present their agreed position, but the issue of N5,000 denomination being proposed by the governor of CBN, Mallam Sanusi Lamido, will also come up, probably under Any Other Business, AOB.
According to the source, the governors will also speak on the present oil well imbroglio between Anambra, Kogi and Enugu States as a way of finding a peaceful resolution before it escalates to a very serious problem that may affect the security of the three states.
The source said the controversial issue of state police which has caused a rift between the northern governors and their colleagues in the South is not on the agenda, but may come under AOB, just as the discussions on constitution review will also come up.