• Celebrate Yobe overall best in PHC awards, others

From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) in its communiqué after its eighth meeting on Wednesday, has emphasised robust security measures for the festive season, continued rollout of World Bank-funded resilience programmes and applauded primary health care advancements by members.

Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, read the communiqué while briefing newsmen, flanked by Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah and Niger State Governor, Mohammed Bago. The forum, chaired by Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, addressed pressing national concerns amid rising public safety risks and economic recovery efforts.

On security, the governors responded to a directive from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), pledging enhanced vigilance. “Governors are committed to strengthening inter-agency coordination, protecting critical infrastructure and maintaining a visible security presence in identified hotspots to ensure a safe, incident-free festive period nationwide,” the communiqué stated.

The forum also hailed the World Bank’s confirmation of additional financing for the Nigeria Community Action for Resilience and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES) Programme. This green light allows the ongoing disbursements to boost livelihoods, food security, public works and resilience for vulnerable households. Governors vowed to “sustain implementation momentum, ensure timely reporting and maximise fund utilisation to deliver measurable outcomes.”

In health sector highlights, the NGF celebrated the third Primary Health Care (PHC) Leadership Challenge Awards recently, where Yobe State clinched the national overall best. Zamfara, Nasarawa, Abia, Rivers and Osun states led their geopolitical zones, with Kwara, Gombe, Kaduna, Anambra, Bayelsa and Ogun as first runners-up. “The results reflect the value of sustained political leadership and peer-driven accountability,” the governors noted, promising to amplify the efforts nationwide.