The Nigeria Governors’ Forum has expressed its full support for the ongoing efforts to amend the nation’s constitution, pledging to actively contribute to shaping the changes.
The commitment was made in a communiqué following the forum’s 7th physical meeting held Wednesday night in Abuja, under the leadership of Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
Governor Uba Sani, who read the communiqué, revealed that the meeting focused on key national issues, including the constitutional review.
He said the governors engaged in discussions with the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, who also chairs the Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution.
Kalu provided valuable insights into the progress of the amendment process and underscored the importance of collaboration between the governors and the committee.
Kalu proposed the creation of a “one-stop-shop” framework to better align state-level priorities with the national constitutional review. In response, the governors pledged their support for the initiative and committed to playing an active role in shaping the constitutional amendments aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s governance.
The meeting also included a session with the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, who outlined key challenges facing Nigeria’s education sector, particularly the high number of out-of-school children and the impacts of poverty, especially in the North-East and North-West regions. Alausa highlighted the importance of strengthening collaboration between federal and state governments to address these issues.
Discussions included proposals to improve the quality of girl-child education, integrate vocational training, and use data and technology to enhance educational management. The governors reaffirmed their commitment to working with the Federal Government and development partners to tackle these challenges and contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 on quality education.
Tax reform was also discussed during the meeting, although further consultations are ongoing. Governor Sani expressed confidence that the governors would reach a consensus on the matter in upcoming meetings.
Finally, the forum addressed the country’s security challenges, emphasizing ongoing collaboration with security agencies to find lasting solutions. Governor Sani expressed optimism that, with patience, the challenges would be overcome in due time.
Mr Sani said the forum also engaged the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, on the strategies to reposition Nigeria’s education system for improved outcomes.
He added that the minister highlighted some challenges, such as the high rate of out-of-school children and poverty, particularly in the North-East and North-West zones.
“Key proposals discussed included strengthening collaboration between federal and state governments, improving the quality of girl-child education, integrating vocational training and leveraging data and technology to enhance educational management systems.
“The governors reaffirmed their commitment to collaborating with the Federal Government and development partners to address these challenges and align efforts toward achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG-4),’’ Mr Sani said.
“We are very confident that it is a matter of time before all these issues are resolved; all we appeal is for Nigerians to be patient,” he added.
