As May 29 draws increasingly closer for elected governors who are in the final stretch of their last days in office, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), will begin from Monday, conduct a session for the incoming governors and the 17 outgoing governors at the banquet hall of the presidential Villa, Abuja.
The meeting which would feature talks on the economy, security and good governance, would see former governors giving pep talks on how the outgoing governors would retire fruitfully back into civilian life.
Speaking to newsmen, the Executive Director of the NGF, Abdullahi Shittu, said the induction programme for the incoming and the returning governors was NGFs flagship programme, where the incoming governors would be supported with special tools to usher them into office in a seamless manner and to assist them move away from campaigns to governance.
He said the induction seminar would feature talks on fruitful retirement by the outgoing governors into the larger society, and that the occasion would accord the governors an opportunity to share experiences and compare notes to further strengthen service delivery to the Nigerian people at the subnational level.
Shittu explained that speakers were invited from all parts of the world, from among heads of governments, members of the diplomatic corps, captains of industry and other categories of guests, who had accomplished and distinguished history of service to their people to inspire the governors to hit the ground running.
According to the NGF Executive Director, “Eric Adams, the Mayor of New York City, which, if it were a country would have the nineth-largest gross metropolitan product (GMP) of $1.66 trillion, is visiting Africa for the first time, is known to have applied digital methods to fight crime in NYC.
“Also expected to speak at the NGF induction is Professor Peter Anyang Nyongo, Governor of the Kisumu County in Kenya, who transformed Kenya’s hospital fund to a national health insurance fund, reduced poverty and brought Kisumu County to compete in poverty reduction, education and infrastructure with modern cities around the globe.
“Also invited to the NGF induction are Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Mr Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi, the Secretary General of United Cities and Local Governments of Africa and President William Ruto of Kenya.
“Also Dr Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, Director General of the World trade Organization, Amina Jane Mohammed, Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations and Dr Akinwumi Adeshina of the African Development Bank, bring their experiences to bear on the occasion.
“The NGF is a credible, non-partisan association of the 36 democratically elected governors of Nigeria. Its vision is to promote inclusiveness, democratic values, good governance, and sustainable development at the sub-national level.
“By virtue of this mandate, over the years, the forum has continuously evolved to become a veritable platform that leverages the potential of states to address critical issues of national importance.”
He said the NGF Secretariat (NGFS) served as the technical and administrative arm of the Forum, as a policy hub and one-stop resource centre for the 36 States, adding that, the secretariat’s strategic role was driven by consensus and collaborative action, capacity to promote subnational development, effective stakeholder relationship, and high-level advocacy to the governors, who are key decision-makers at the subnational level.”
He further said the induction programme is organised as part of NGF’s onboarding plan for new and outgoing governors as they transition into new roles.
“The induction aims to create a platform that will enable new governors to fully understand the responsibilities, organisation, and cultural values, along with key processes of governance and equip them with knowledge and skills that will ease their transition to governing,” he said.
The 2023 Induction is scheduled to be held from Monday 15th to Wednesday 17th May 2023 at the Presidential Banquet Hall, State House, Abuja.
The event, which will be declared open by President Muhammadu Buhari, would bring together newly elected, re-elected, past governors, national and international leaders, captains of industries and development partners.
It would also kickstarts NGF’s knowledge-based process of ensuring that the new governors become integrated and effective members of the Forum.
“The second part of this programme (17th -19th May, 2023) will focus on the governors’ spouses summit designed to strategise on how the activities of the governors’ spouses can best complement the roles of the governors in promoting good governance at the sub-national level, and help the spouses better understand the processes of transitioning to their new roles as first ladies,” The NGF executive director explained.
Chuks Okocha
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