From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Governors of the 36 states of the federation, under the auspices of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), have backed the federal government’s plans to dismantle unauthorised checkpoints and streamline levies driving food inflation through high transportation costs.
“Illegal levies and poor road conditions are driving up food prices, impacting millions of Nigerians. We recognise the urgency and are committed to working with the federal government to dismantle unauthorised checkpoints and streamline levies to ease the movement of goods,” the governors said in a communique issued at the end of their third meeting of the year, signed by the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, flanked by his counterparts from Anambra, Chukwuma Soludo, Akwa Ibom, Umo Eno, Jigawa, Umar Namadi, and Osun, Ademola Adeleke, read the communique in the early hours of Thursday, June 19, at the end of the meeting.
He said the Forum focused on pressing national issues, including food price inflation and the progress of the Nigeria Community Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES) programme.
The Governors’ Forum received a detailed briefing from the National Security Adviser (NSA), alongside the Ministers of Defence, Agriculture, Livestock Development, and Transportation. The presentation highlighted the rising cost of food and livestock transportation as a critical concern, attributing the surge to the proliferation of illegal checkpoints, unauthorised taxation, and deteriorating infrastructure.
Sanwo-Olu stated, “The NSA’s briefing exposed how these illegal levies and poor road conditions are driving up food prices, impacting millions of Nigerians. We recognise the urgency and are committed to working with the federal government to dismantle unauthorised checkpoints and streamline levies to ease the movement of goods.”
The NSA also announced the formation of a high-level inter-ministerial committee tasked with addressing these challenges. The committee has submitted recommendations to the Forum for endorsement, signalling a coordinated effort to stabilise food supply chains and reduce inflationary pressures.
Sanwo-Olu presented an update from the World Bank on the NG-CARES programme, which has seen states invest over US$2.2 billion, benefiting more than 17 million Nigerians directly through various recovery and stimulus initiatives. Despite these achievements, governors expressed concern over the World Bank’s failure to fully meet its funding pledges under NG-CARES 1.0.
The Forum emphasised, “The progress made through NG-CARES is commendable, but the incomplete funding from the World Bank threatens the programme’s sustainability. We urge an amicable resolution to conclude phase one before we move forward with NG-CARES 2.0, which aims to build long-term resilience for vulnerable households and enterprises.”