Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has been elected as the chairman of the South West Governors’ forum.
All six governors of the southwest governors were present during the closed-door meeting on Monday, 10 June in Lagos, where Sanwo-Olu was elected. He took over as forum chairman six months after the death of the former governor of Ondo state, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, who passed away on December 27, 2023.
Consequently, in a move to boost food production and reduce the prices of food items which remain high in the country despite ongoing efforts to bring down inflation – governors in the six Southwest states yesterday gave a marching order to agriculture commissioners to begin the process that will lead to food security in the geo-political zone.
They said: “On food security, the forum acknowledges the efforts of the Federal Government and decides that the Honourable Commissioners for Agriculture of all the states should begin to meet and set up a working template, which will ensure collaboration based on each state’s comparative advantage.”
The governors made this known yesterday after a meeting hosted by Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. They commended the Federal Government for turning the sod of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway that will run across three of the states in the zone, and the Badagry to Sokoto Highway, which will pass through Oyo State, but urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to facilitate rehabilitation of other Federal roads in the region. The governors reaffirmed their backing for Regional Security Network Amotekun and condemned the Yoruba Nation agitation.
They renewed their backing for state police while expressing relief that Southwest remains the most peaceful region in the country. The governors urged the Senate to concur with the House of Representatives by passing the Southwest Development Commission Bill. All the six governors –Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo), Ademola Adeleke (Osun) and Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti) attended the meeting.
