It was gathered that the meeting may discuss the security situation in the country as well as the threat of possible government shut down as a result of the crisis between the executive and the legislature which has affected the governmentthat borrowing plan and President Muhammadu Buhari’s virement requirement.
Recall that the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Ita Enang had recently raised the alarm of possible shut down of government over the inability of the National Assembly to reconvene and consider the President’s request. Available information has it that the federal government has only been able to mop up N450 billion.
Also in attendance at the NEC are Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, the National Security Adviser, Babangana Mungonu, Ministers of finance, Kemi Adeosun, Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma and the Accountant General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris. Governors in attendance at the time the meeting commenced at 11:20am include Chairman of Governors Forum and Zamfara governor, Abdulaziz Yari, Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom, Willy Obiano of Anambra, Dave Umahi of Ebonyi, Godwin Obaseki of Edo, Aminu Masari of Katsina, Rotimi Akeredolu, Niger’s Abubakar Bello, Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna, Jigawa‘s Abubakar Badaru, Pleatau’s Simon Lalong, Lagos’s Akinwumi Ambode, Deputy governors of Bayelsa, Enugu, Rivers, Ogun, Oyo, Benue, Kano.
Those invited to make presentations are Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Gabriel Olonisakin; Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai; Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Ibok Ekwe Ibas; and Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Abubakar Sadique; Ahmed Abubakar, Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ibrahim Idris, Inspector General of Police and the Director General of Department for State Services, Matthew Seiyefa. The Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue, Babatunde Fowler is also among those to make contributions.
The opening prayer was said by the Jigawa State governor. A report by the Nigeria Governors Forum released on Tuesday on security funding in the country, revealed that the Governors of the 36 states have collectively expended over N2 trillion in augmenting police operations nationwide in the last decade alone. The report had also revealed that in July 2017, the IG had approached the Nigeria Governors’ Forum at their meeting in Aso Rock Villa seeking cap-in-hand, the sum of N3 trillion as assistance from states.
