Communiqué: On The State Of The Nation

Issued by

The Nigeria Governors' Forum

October 25, 2006

After deep reflection on the prevailing political situation in the country, we the elected Governors of the thirty-six States of the Federation do resolve as follows:

1. That we condemn in very strong unequivocal terms the sustained onslaught on the rule of law and constitutional process as evidenced by recent and on-going political developments in especially in Ekiti, Anambra and Plateau States.

2. That these acts constitute a systemic undermining of the institutions and structures of democratic governance, which the people of this nation adopted and embraced with great hope in 1999.

3. That the resort to flagrantly unconstitutional means to achieve selfish, anti-people interests directly threatens the peace, stability, and continued corporate existence of our dear nation.

4. That a situation where the impeachment process has been transformed into a frivolous instrument of blackmail and intimidation is against the spirit of democracy and is therefore totally unacceptable.

5. That as elected Governors of the thirty-six States of the Federation, we consider it our abiding duty to the people of Nigeria to work resolutely to ensure that sanity returns to our political process.

6. That as a group of patriotic, responsible Nigerians, we subscribe fully to the fight against corruption in all its ramifications.

7. By the same token, we are strongly opposed to the extra-legal tactics of the Economic and Financial crimes Commission (EFCC) in pursuit of its legitimate mandates.

8. We call on all parties to exercise restraint, and for all persons in positions of authority - executive, legislative, and judicial - to adhere strictly to the letter and spirit of the law and our national Constitution especially as we approach an epochal transition in our political development process.

9. Security Agencies should not be made to function in such a manner as to create the impression that they are willing tools of narrow, selfish and unpatriotic interests.

10. We thank the Senior Special Assistant to the President on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on her very detailed brief to the Forum.

11. However, the Forum is very concerned about the situation where Governors are completely unaware of many projects listed as executed or on-going by the office of the SSA, MDGs in their States. We therefore call for a mechanism that will enable individual Governors make an input into the process to ensure greater efficiency and effectiveness, and avoid undue duplication of efforts and resources.

12. We remember the late First Lady of our nation who passed on one year back, and all those who lost their lives in the ill-fated Bellview, Sosoliso, and the Air Force crashes within the past twelve months. We commiserate with Mr. President and all the families. We also seize this opportunity to call for more focused effort at making air travel in our nation safer and improved emergency management.

13. We reiterate our unalloyed commitment to engendering one united, strong, progressive and prosperous Nigeria.

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Communiqué: On The State Of The Nation