By Lateef Odegbenle
The South West Governors’ Forum, comprising the Governors of Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, and Ondo States, held its meeting on Thursday, 13th February 2025, at the Governor’s Office, Lagos House, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos State.
After extensive deliberations on key issues affecting the South West region, the Forum acknowledged the threat posed by ISWAP activities in parts of the South West, the Forum strongly condemns any threat to the region’s security and encourages enhanced collaboration between the Nigeria Police Force and local security outfits, urging them to remain vigilant.
The Forum also commits to taking necessary actions to counter these threats.
Other recfollowsations are as follows:
1. The Forum commends His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, for the economic stability and improvements recorded across the nation, particularly in the sustained supply and distribution of petroleum products and the stabilization of the exchange rate. The Forum urges citizens to continue supporting the President’s efforts to strengthen the economy and improve the overall well-being of Nigerians.
2. The Forum applauds the Federal Government for the successful implementation of the Student Loan Scheme under the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), which has benefited South West students in tertiary institutions. It encourages all eligible students in the region to take full advantage of this initiative to access higher education, vocational training, and skills acquisition programs.
3. The Forum congratulates His Excellency, Hon. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, on his victory in the Ondo State Gubernatorial Election held on November 16, 2024.
4. The Forum commends the South West Governors for maintaining relative peace and security in the region, particularly during the recent festive period. It calls on all States to continue fostering peaceful coexistence among member States.
5. The Forum agreed to establish a Joint Surveillance Monitoring Team to oversee and coordinate security efforts across the South West region. As part of this resolution, the Forum has committed to deploying advanced technology, including aerial surveillance systems to enhance security operations. Additionally, the Forum resolved its Special Advisers on Security collaborates on intelligence gathering and sharing between State security agencies, local security networks, and federal law enforcement in Southeast states and the South West States.
6. The Forum commends the Federal Government and the Senate for establishing the South West Development Commission (SWDC) and collectively agreed to situate its headquarters at Cocoa House, I badan, Oyo State.
7. The Forum acknowledges the efforts of Odu’a Investment Company Ltd. in efficiently managing joint assets of the South West region over the past five years. It also commends the company’s Board and Management for the ongoing redevelopment of the Premier Hotel in Ibadan, Oyo State, and the proposed redevelopment of the Lagos Airport Hotel in Lagos State. Furthermore, the Forum applauds Odu’a Investment Company’s proposed investments in other key sectors of the economy, aimed at driving sustainable economic growth and development across the South West region.
8. Recognizing the need for food security, the Forum encourages collaboration among South West States to implement collective measures aimed at curbing food inflation in the region.
9. The Forum expresses concern over the activities of unscrupulous middlemen who deliberately inflate prices of goods and commodities in South West markets. It has, therefore, agreed to establish a State Food Inflation Joint Monitoring Team and also the establishment of Aggregation Centres/Food Hubs to foster inter-state collaboration and mitigate food inflation.
10. The Forum commends the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission for its improved performance over the past twelve months and encourages it to continue working diligently with South West Commissioners for Agriculture on industrialization and infrastructural development across the region.
