By EMMANUEL OLONIRUHA

The 36 state governors have reiterated their commitment to working closely with the Federal Government to harmonise levies, remove illegal checkpoints, and enhance the free movement of goods across states.

The governors made the pledge after the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) meeting in Abuja, in a communiqué signed by the forum Chairman, Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara, and read by Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State.

Sanwo-Olu said that the forum at the meeting deliberated on issues affecting the country, including rising cost of food in the country.

“The forum received a briefing from the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, accompanied by the Ministers of Defence, Agriculture, Livestock Development, and Transportation, on the rising cost of food and livestock transportation across the country.

“The presentation revealed that the proliferation of checkpoints, illegal taxation, and poor infrastructure are key contributors to price inflation and inefficiencies in the food supply chain.

“The NSA noted that a high-level inter-ministerial committee has been established to address these concerns and has submitted its recommendations for the endorsement of the forum.

“Governors acknowledged the urgency of the matter and expressed commitment to collaborate with federal authorities to streamline levies, dismantle unauthorised checkpoints, and improve the movement of goods across states,” he said

Sanwo-Olu who said that the forum also received a presentation from the World Bank on the (NG-CARES) programme, expressed the governors’ concerns over the non-fulfilment of the bank’s funding pledges under the NG-CARES 1.0 programme.

He noted that “the Bank highlighted that states made significant investments totaling over US$2.2 billion through the NG-CARES delivery platforms, with verified impacts reaching over 17 million direct beneficiaries.

“Governors expressed concern over the non-fulfilment of funding pledges by the Bank under NG-CARES 1.0.

“The forum emphasized the need for an amicable resolution between the World Bank and participating states to conclude the first phase of the programme before advancing to NG-CARES 2.0, which is designed to build long-term resilience for vulnerable households and enterprises,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting which ended in the early hours of Thursday, had in attendance governors of Kwara, Oyo, Imo, Anambra, Akwa-Ibom, Osun and Plateau.

Others are governors of Lagos, Nasarawa, Ekiti, Ebonyi, Kogi, Ondo, Cross-River, Ogun and Edo. (NAN)