Governors Across All States, ONSA Pledge Tight Security for an Incident-free Yuletide

•Katsina deputy gov says security challenges overexaggerated by media

Chuks Okocha in Abuja and Francis Sardauna in Katsina

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has pledged, in collaboration with office of the National Security Adviser, to tighten security measures across the country to ensure an incident-free festive period.

The governors made the commitment in a communiqué issued after the NGF eighth meeting on Wednesday in Abuja signed by its Chairman, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State, and read by Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State.

Abiodun said members of the NGF, at the meeting deliberated on issues including security affecting the country.

“The forum received a communication from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) calling for heightened security preparedness across all states during the 2025 festive season, due to increased population movements, large public gatherings, and heightened public safety risks.

“Governors are committed to strengthening interagency coordination, protecting critical infrastructure, and maintaining a visible security presence in identified hotspots to ensure a safe, incident-free festive period nationwide,” he said.

Abiodun disclosed that the governors received notification from the World Bank confirming the effectiveness of the additional financing for the Nigeria Community Action for Resilience and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES) programme.

This, according to him, enabled continued disbursements to states to support livelihoods, food security, public works, and resilience-building interventions.

“Governors renewed their commitment to sustaining implementation momentum, ensuring timely reporting, and maximising fund utilisation to deliver measurable outcomes for vulnerable households..

“The forum noted the outcome of the third edition of the Primary Health Care (PHC) Leadership Challenge Awards, held on Dec. 12, which recognised 13 states for outstanding progress in strengthening PHC systems.

“Yobe State emerged as the national overall winner, while Zamfara, Nasarawa, Abia, Rivers, and Osun topped their respective geopolitical zones; Kwara, Gombe, Kaduna, Anambra, Bayelsa, and Ogun  were the first runners-up.

“Governors acknowledged that the results reflect the value of sustained political leadership and peer-driven accountability, and committed to building on these gains to further strengthen primary health care delivery nationwide,” he said.

Katsina State Security Challenges Are Overexaggerated By Media, Says Dep Gov

The Katsina State Deputy Governor, Faruk Lawal, has accused the media of overexaggerating the security challenges bedevilling some farming communities in the state.

Lawal, who spoke at the opening of the 18th meeting of the National Council on Environment in Katsina, claimed that the media narratives on insecurity in the state largely did not reflect the realities.

He explained that Katsina remained a peaceful and conducive state for living and commercial activities because of the security measures initiated and implemented by the government.

“Let me assure you (participants) that the security challenges we face are actually over exaggerated by the media as most of the narratives do not tally with realities,” Lawal said.

He stressed, however, that the present administration in the state has prioritised numerous initiatives aimed at combating desertification and promoting afforestation.

He noted that the government, through its ministry of environment, raised and distributed three million seedlings of indigenous species of economic trees which were planted in areas regarded as the worst hit by climate change.

Lawal added that the government also procured and distributed mobile environmental sanitation gadgets across the state which “has greatly assisted in recording a decline in cases of cholera and other water- and airborne diseases.”