All 36 governors of Nigeria are scheduled to hold a virtual meeting tomorrow with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The aim of the meeting is to discuss how to manage security votes allocated to each state in a more transparent and effective way.
Abdularaque Bello Barkindo, the Director of Media at the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), stated that the meeting will also look into the expansion of the cashless policy that was introduced last year when the national currency, the Nigerian Naira, was redesigned. This is in order to increase the financial inclusion of all citizens.
The meeting was called by the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), which stated in a letter to the NGF that it would also like to discuss national addressing and post code projects. The NFIU emphasized the importance of uniform development and cooperation on this project in order to bring Nigeria up to the same level as other advanced countries.
Other topics to be discussed at the meeting include updating the national tax collection and business entry standards, as well as the requirements for complying with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the European Union’s greylisting, which Nigeria was recently placed on.
The NGF’s Director General, Asishana Bayo Okauru, issued an invitation for the meeting to ensure full attendance by all the relevant officers involved. The meeting was called following an emergency meeting of the NGF on 30th March, where the governors unanimously agreed that it was imperative to hold a meeting with the above-mentioned agencies to discuss the thorny issues surrounding their states’ security votes.
In light of recent reports of corruption and misuse of security votes in some states, it is hoped that this meeting will lead to a more transparent and accountable management of these funds, and ensure that they are used effectively to enhance the security of Nigerian citizens.