The Nigeria Governors Forum on Thursday said it was worried by the continuous postponement of National Economic Council meetings.
The Forum, under the chairmanship of the Rivers State Governor, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, stated this at its meeting, which ended in the early hours of Thursday in Abuja.
Amaechi, who read the communiqué of the meeting to newsmen, said the Forum noted that the NEC meeting had been postponed for five consecutive months without reasons.
This, it noted, was usually done when the governors would have arrived Abuja for the meeting.
He said: “As co-managers of the Nigerian economy, the Forum expresses deep disappointment at yet another postponement of the National Economic Council meeting.
“The Forum is concerned that a pattern is emerging where the NEC meeting has been postponed for five consecutive months.
“It has become disturbing that governors are invited to Abuja for NEC meeting only to be told of its cancellation usually on the eve of the meeting after the arrival of the governors and without any reason.”
The NGF added that the development was regrettable because there were issues of urgent and utmost national importance that ought to have been addressed at the NEC meeting.
Meanwhile, Amaechi noted that the 2014 budget was done without input from states, which, according to him, resulted to a lack of sense of ownership of the budget process.
The Forum also said it was concerned with the development in Rivers State with regards to controversies concerning the deployment of police to the state.
:It therefore enjoined President Goodluck Jonathan to call a meeting of the Police Council to discuss the issue and other related issues,” said the chairman.
Meanwhile, Amaechi said that the Forum had resolved to hold a special retreat in Lagos in March, in furtherance to the implementation of its strategic plan.
He added that it had reviewed extensively the draft of its 2013-2015 strategic plans and agreed to a series of steps on its vision, mission and objectives.
The Forum, he said, observed the need to improve on its feedback mechanisms in the implementation of its strategic plan and the need to focus more on agriculture, security, education and anti-corruption strategies
The NGF is an umbrella association of the 36 elected state governors of the federation irrespective of party affiliation.
The meeting was attended by governors of Rivers, Edo, Ekiti, Jigawa, Ogun, Nasarawa, Sokoto, Borno and Lagos States, while Imo and Kano states were represented by their deputies.
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