The chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, on Thursday transferred power of the NGF to the governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal.
The event happened at the National Economic Council, NEC meeting, held at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.
Mr Tambuwal has served as vice chairman of the forum under Mr Fayemi in the last four years.
Mr Fayemi, who was only a few weeks ago elected as the President of the Forum of Regional and State Governments in Saidia in the state of Casablanca in Morocco, attended the NEC virtually from New York City, where he is currently attending the United Nations General Assembly meeting.
The Sokoto State governor will be holding fort until May next year when a proper election is conducted among the governors.
Before making the announcement, the Ekiti State governor acknowledged the result-driven output of the NEC and thanked his colleagues and other members of the council for their support, explaining that “yes, we may be occasionally troublesome, coming from the Forum of Governors, and we do test your patience but you have never really expressed any frustration with all our truculent questions and the insistence that the federation must be a true federation.”
Mr Fayemi thanked the secretariat of the NEC and through the NEC thanked the President Muhammadu Buhari for taking the resolutions of the NEC seriously by implementing them.
In his response, Vice President Professor Yemi Osinbajo said the NGF chairman had taken the wind out of their sail, because he was “meant to, on behalf of the NEC commend the Ekiti Governor and NGF Chairman’s informed and patriotic services to the council in the last four years and that was enhanced by your chairmanship of the NGF, admitting that the NGF has ensured that we move to a true federation, not just in words but in deeds as well.”
Mr Osinbajo prayed that Mr Fayemi’s services both nationally and globally to development, and to all of the good which the nation deserves and the global community deserves will continue.
Mr Fayemi formally hands over the chairmanship of the NGF to Mr Tambuwal on October 16.
