Constitution amendment tops agenda as Nigerian governors meet in Abuja

State governors met on Wednesday evening under the aegis of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum. The meeting, the first of its kind in 2018, was held at the old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.  The forum’s chairman and Zamfara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari, presided over the meeting that started at about 9pm. Top on their agenda is a briefing from the constitution amendment committee headed by Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State. The meeting was also meant to consider the health agenda for 2018 which is to get the commitment of governors to universal health care coverage, polio eradication and nutrition among others. Governors in attendance as of the time the meeting started were  Kashim Shettima (Borno),  Dave Umahi (Ebonyi), Godwin Obaseki (Edo), Umar Ganduje (Kano), Ibrahim Hassan (Jigawa), Simon Lalong (Plateau), Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi),  Patrick Okowa (Delta), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara), Udom Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom), Ibrahim Dankwanbo (Gombe) and Nasir el-Rufai (Kaduna). The deputy governors in attendance were those of  Anambra, Dr. Nkem Okeke; Benson Abounu, Benue; Abubakar Alli, Yobe; Eze Madumere, Imo; Titi Laoye-Tomori,  Osun; Ipalibo Banigo, Rivers; Yetunde Onanuga, Ogun  and Enugu, Cecelia Ezeilo. Others were deputy governors of Niger, Katsina, Ekiti, Lagos, Sokoto and Bauchi States. The meeting was still ongoing as of the time of filing this report. Original Source: