The Nigeria Governors’ Forum has appealed for a comprehensive power sector policy and strategy, with a view to achieving a holistic solution to the epileptic power situation in the country.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the Forum’s meeting in Abuja in the early hours of Thursday, the governors said they resolved to make the appeal following a presentation made to them by the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Power Holding Limited.
The communiqué, signed by the chairman of the Forum and Governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari, stated that the state executives also had exhaustive discussions on the operations of the National Integrated Power Project.
The communiqué also said the governors would meet with the United Nations Secretary General, Mr. Ban K-Moon, on August 23, to discuss among others, the Sustainable Development Goals.
Also slated for discussion with Ki-Moon is the successor programme to the Millennium Development Goals and the envisaged role of state governors, as critical stakeholders in its implementation.
In a related development, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum had condemned what it described as alleged meddlesomeness of the Department of State Services (DSS) in election matters pending at the tribunals.
A statement read by the Forum’s chairman, Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State, identified Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Abia states as PDP controlled states where the DSS was allegedly interfering with election matters.
The statement said, “It is against the spirit, ethos, values and fundamental tenets of democratic norms and tradition; more so with the existence of the Electoral Act and the Constitution.
“The forum is worried, alarmed and shocked by this development. A situation where officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in these three states are daily being arrested, detained and questioned on election-related offences, even when the cases are ongoing at the tribunals, spells doom and poses imminent danger to our fledgling democracy.
“The alleged interference is an attempt to stifle the opposition and this is most unacceptable. We insist that the trend be reversed. No democracy survives without a viable opposition in any part of the world.”
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