President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is billed to hold a meeting this morning with all 36 state governors at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa.
The President would meet with the state governors before departing for the 37th African Union (AU) meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
This gathering, which is the second since the President’s inauguration on May 29, takes place against the backdrop of escalating economic and security challenges in the nation.
Recall that protests erupted recently in Niger and Kano States due to the surging cost of living, with citizens demanding solutions to the ravaging economic crisis.
Particularly in Niger, a significant protest saw women blockading the Minna-Bida Road at the Kpakungu Roundabout, issuing a vehement plea to President Tinubu’s government to mitigate the severe ‘hunger in the land.’
Efforts by security forces to disperse the gatherings through the deployment of tear gas and the arrest of some protestors were met with staunch resistance, signalling growing unrest among the populace over economic hardships.
In response, President Tinubu directed the immediate release of over 100,000 metric tons of assorted food items from the strategic reserve and the Rice Millers Association of Nigeria.
Also, opposition governors, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), recently drew parallels between Nigeria’s economic state and that of Venezuela, citing hyperinflation, increased starvation, crime, and elevated mortality rates.
However, the Presidency and the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF) responded by critiquing the governors’ performance, emphasizing their failure to meet salary obligations in their respective states.