The six governors in the South-West region of Nigeria have resolved to establish a joint surveillance and monitoring team to coordinate security operations across the region.
The move, the governors said, was a direct response to the emerging threats of Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP) and other criminal groups whose activities are inimical to the peace and stability of the South-West.
The governors made this known via a communique issued after the South West Governors’ Forum meeting in Lagos on Thursday, February 13, 2025.
They also commended President Bola Tinubu on the economic reforms, noting that the country had returned to the path of economic stability as a result of the outcome of the economic reforms.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, while reading the communique, said the governors unanimously passed a confidence vote on Tinubu for the economic stability and improvements recorded across the nation, particularly in the sustained supply and distribution of petroleum products and the stabilisation of the exchange rate.
The governors applauded Tinubu’s administration for the implementation of the student loan scheme through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), saying the scheme had benefited students in tertiary institutions.
Sanwo-Olu said: “The Forum commends President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the economic stability and improvements recorded across the nation, particularly in the sustained supply and distribution of petroleum products and the stabilisation 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.
“We also applaud 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.
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“It encourages all eligible students in the region to take full advantage of this initiative to access higher education, vocational training, and skills acquisition programmes.
“The Forum commended the member States for regional efforts to foster peace and security, but called for more vigilance to proactively address the potential threat posed by subversive activities of criminal groups bent on causing instability in the region.”
Sanwo-Olu said the Forum remained committed to taking necessary measures to counter any form of threats that could threaten peace in the region.
The governor added: “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. Acknowledging the threat posed by ISWAP activities in parts of the South West, the Forum strongly condemns any threat to the region’s security.
“It 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.
“The Forum agreed to establish a Joint Surveillance and Monitoring Team, which will oversee and coordinate security across the region. As part of the resolution, the Forum has committed to deploy advanced technology, including area surveillance system that will enhance security operations.
“The Governors resolved that our Special Advisers on Security will collaborate on intelligence gathering and share valuable intelligence to State security agencies, local security networks, and federal law enforcement authorities operating within the South West.”
The South-West Governors also discussed measures to enhance food adequacy and curbing activities disrupting the food supplies within the region.
The Forum frowned at unscrupulous practices of middlemen in the food supply chain, which, they said, were responsible for inflated food prices and artificial scarcity.
The governors, therefore, agreed to implement the State Food Inflation Joint Monitoring Team to collectively address sabotage and other related issues leading to arbitrary increase in food prices.
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