Osinbajo commissions new NGF secretariat in Abuja

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo Thursday commissioned the new secretariat of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF).

The secretariat was commissioned in the presence of governors and former governors who were chairpersons of the forum.

At the event, the outgoing NGF chairman and governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, noted that the construction of the building was made possible by former heads of the forum who did not just plan but set it in motion.

He complained that the former secretariat, located next to the new building, was small and sometimes inconvenient.

The governor narrated how the forum was forced to suspend physical meetings in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the near impossibility to observe social distancing in the former secretariat.

READ ALSO: NGF condemns Kogi governor over comment on COVID-19 vaccinesBefore the building was commissioned, former NGF chairpersons took turns to commend governors for continuing the work.

Lucky Igbenedion, a former Edo State governor and pioneer chairman of the forum, appreciated the NGF for adopting the spirit of continuity.

“What we see most times is a new administration comes in and abandon the projects of the previous government,” he lamented. “What we fail to understand is that the people who elected you, don’t care…they just want good governance.”

Another former chairman and ex-governor of Kwara State, Bukola Saraki, appreciated the peace and unity in the forum irrespective of diverse backgrounds and political parties. He commended governors for choosing to come together for a common good, an act he said is a result of their respect for Nigeria and Nigerians.

Rotimi Amaechi, former Rivers State governor, surged governors to sustain the association.

Abdul’aziz Yari, former Zamfara State governor, appealed to governors to seek partnership, sustain the forum, and “continue giving dues.”

The commissioning was thereafter carried out by Mr Osinbajo who also inspected the building.

When asked how much it cost to complete the new secretariat, Mr Fayemi said it is an “internal matter for the NGF.”

“We’re just a forum coming together to contribute and find solutions to problems and challenges in the country,” he told journalists.