Two former American governors, Terry McAuliffe and O’Malley Martin Joseph, as well as the current Mayor of New York City, Eric Adams, are among the personalities billed to speak at a two-day induction ceremony organised by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) for new and returning governors.

This is as the PDP Governors’ Forum will on Thursday, honour its former Chairmen and other going governors, including Nyesom Wike, Ayodele Fayose, Olusegun Mimiko and Ibrahim Dankwambo.

The Director, Media & Public Affairs of the NGF, Abdulrazaque Barkindo, in a statement issued on Tuesday, said the two former American governors who will speak at the induction ceremony of the new governors next Monday, distinguished themselves in the areas of crime fighting, healthcare and education.

McAuliffe was governor of Virginia while Joseph served in Maryland in the same capacity.

Adams, the Mayor of New York City, the statement added, is presiding over a city credited with the 9th largest gross metropolitan product (GMP) of $1.66 trillion.

The mayor who will be visiting Africa for the first time, is known to have applied digital methods to fight crime in NYC.

Also expected to speak at the induction are Dr Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, Director General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations and Dr Akinwumi Adeshina of the African Development Bank (AfDB).

The statement added that the governor of Kisumu County in Kenya, Prof. Peter Anyang Nyongo who transformed Kenya’s hospital fund into a national health insurance fund, reduced poverty and brought the county to compete in poverty reduction, education and infrastructure with modern cities around the globe, will address the gathering.

President William Ruto of Kenya, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Secretary General of the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa Mr Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi are equally expected at the event.

“There will also be rich conversations on managing expectations and powering the bureaucracy to accomplish agenda and balancing political appointees versus the civil service, among many other critical governance toolkits.

“The same induction program will deal with how to seamlessly ease the outgoing governors to a life after office,” the statement added.

The Director General of the PDP Governors’ Forum Cyril Maduabum, in a statement, said the planned honour of the party’s outgoing governors would serve as an opportunity for PDP leaders, stakeholders and members to come together, after the general election.

According to him, the event would feature a discussion on “Good Governance at the Sub-National Level: Issues, Perspectives, Expectations and Outcomes, which will lay out the challenges facing governance at the sub-national level and possible solutions,” which he said, is to be presented by Dr Muda Yusuf, a renowned economist.

The PDP presidential candidate Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the party’s acting National Chairman Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagum, as well as former Vice President Namadi Sambo, are billed to attend the event. (New Telegraph)

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