17 Southern Governors To Meet Tomorrow

Twelve years after a similar gathering was held under the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration, 17 governors from the South West, South East and South South are to meet in Lagos on Monday to discuss latest national issues and forge stronger relations.

A statement by the Secretary to the Lagos State Government (SSG), Mr Tunji Bello, said the meeting would be co-hosted by the Governors of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode and Akwa Ibom, Emmanuel Udom.

Bello said the Governors would also be expected to adopt a common position on the issues of armed robbery, kidnapping, devolution of powers and issue of fiscal federalism which have all gained prominence of late.

“The 2017 Lagos summit of the 17 Southern Governors representing the South South, South West and South East zones is expected to come up with a communiqué after the deliberation. It is noteworthy to recall that the inaugural meeting of the Southern Governors took place in Lagos in 2001 under the administration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”

The statement added that the predominance of views is that if the Southern States speak with one voice, they are bound to attract weighty and credible listenership.

Governors from the South East and South-South Zones have been meeting intermittently. The latest was on October 9 in Owerri where they rejected calls for the breakup of the country while rallying support for its continued existence as an indivisible entity.

It said that the bond between the South-East and South-South zones was much more than political party considerations.