• Some US counterparts also attending
• Spouses’ summit to follow
Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
The 29 governors-elect in the country will hold a retreat in Abuja, the nation’s capital on Monday, beginning with registration for members today, Sunday, in preparation for some of the challenges that lay-in-wait for their incoming administrations, due to be inaugurated on Wednesday, May 29.
The one-day summit, which is being put together by the secretariat of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), will be witnessed by the old governors and some of their counterparts from the United States of America, and also followed immediately after by a summit organised for their spouses.
The governors-elect retreat, THISDAY, gathered was designed to build the capacity of the governors-elect and their spouses to develop and utilise their platforms to address critical issues affecting their states with specific focus on social intervention issues.
A statement from the NGF Secretariat at the weekend stated that the induction programme was for both the newly elected and returning governors.
The statement further explained that the initiative is aimed at supporting incoming governors to develop key governance and management skills that would enable them transit from campaigning to managing the processes of governance.
According to the NGF, the objectives of this induction include, preparing the governors-elect to make the most of their transition from campaigning to governing and building bridges for effective leadership; deepening their knowledge and skills on the principles of governance as well as shaping their disposition and outlook to align with their work and motivation levels.
The NGF also said the retreat would enable governors to fully understand the philosophies, responsibilities, organisation, and cultural values, along with key processes of governance and create an opportunity for peer learning, promotion of global best practices and networking with national and global leaders.
It further said the retreat would expose the governors-elect to relevant contemporary national priorities in critical sectors of the economy and driving consensus on opportunities to achieve desired outcomes.
Among those expected at the occasion are critical stakeholders, including current and past governors of Nigeria and the United States, to provide the opportunity for the governors-elect to, not only network with national and global leaders, but also gather useful information that would help their transition into their new roles as the chief executives of their states.
“It is expected that all the governors-elect will, at the end of their induction, have their knowledge and skills honed on the nuances of governance to better equip them to hit the ground running
“All governors-elect would have established relationships with national and global leaders and have a better understanding of the tools and opportunities available to achieve their vision and their priorities,” it said.
The summit for their Spouses is also designed as an introduction to public life for the spouses of the newly elected and existing governors. It is expected that this event would bring about an avenue to discuss how the activities of the governors’ spouses could best complement the roles of their husbands in promoting good governance at the sub-national level.
“This summit is also envisaged to harness and promote best practices in the execution of pet projects,” the statement added.
