President Bola Tinubu has emphasized the importance of delivering good governance to the citizens as he inaugurated the National Economic Council (NEC) on Thursday. The Council, headed by Vice President Kashim Shettima, comprises all 36 State governors and other officials. Tinubu stated that the governors have no excuse for failure, considering the efforts they put into their election campaigns during the 2023 elections. He highlighted the urgent need for reforms and called for the Council’s support in transforming the country’s economic fortunes.
Tinubu encouraged collaboration among the members of the National Economic Council, emphasizing that it is not a crime. He expressed the desire for the Council to work hand in hand with his administration to bring about positive change. The inaugural meeting of the NEC is currently taking place at the State House in Abuja. This monthly gathering is mandated to advise the President on economic affairs and coordinate the economic planning efforts of the various governments in the Federation.
Several state governors were present at the NEC meeting, including Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara State, Ademola Adeleke of Osun State, Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti State, Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State, and Peter Mbah of Enugu State. The meeting was also attended by governors from Cross River, Plateau, Kebbi, Katsina, Benue, Zamfara, Ogun, Anambra, Yobe, Taraba, Gombe, Delta, Rivers, Niger, Sokoto, Ebonyi, Kaduna, Edo, Abia, Bayelsa, Kano, Bauchi, Oyo, Ondo, and Borno. Several government officials and key figures in the meeting included the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Chief of Staff to the President, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, the acting Accountant General of the Federation, the acting Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, and various Permanent Secretaries.