The Nigerian state governors under the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) have said that they will work closely with the Federal Government to address rising food costs and transportation challenges by checking levies and removing illegal checkpoints across the country.
This commitment followed the NGF meeting held in Abuja, where a communiqué was signed by the Forum’s Chairman, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State, and read by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State.
During the meeting, the governors received a detailed briefing from the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, who was accompanied by the Ministers of Defence, Agriculture, Livestock Development, and Transportation. The presentation identified the proliferation of checkpoints, illegal levies, and poor infrastructure as major factors driving food price inflation and inefficiencies in the supply chain.
The NSA disclosed that a high-level inter-ministerial committee had already submitted recommendations to resolve these challenges.
“Governors acknowledged the urgency of the matter and expressed commitment to collaborate with federal authorities to streamline levies, dismantle unauthorised checkpoints, and improve the movement of goods across states,” Governor Sanwo-Olu stated.
The Forum also addressed issues related to the World Bank-funded NG-CARES programme. Sanwo-Olu reported that the governors expressed deep concern over the World Bank’s failure to fulfill its funding commitments under NG-CARES 1.0, despite state governments having invested over $2.2 billion, reaching more than 17 million direct beneficiaries.
The NGF called for an amicable resolution between the World Bank and the states to ensure the successful completion of NG-CARES 1.0 before progressing to NG-CARES 2.0, which aims to support long-term resilience for vulnerable households and small businesses.
According to The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the meeting was attended by governors from Kwara, Oyo, Imo, Anambra, Akwa Ibom, Osun, Plateau, Lagos, Nasarawa, Ekiti, Ebonyi, Kogi, Ondo, Cross River, Ogun, and Edo States, respectively.
