By Eric Ikhilae, Abuja
Governors, under the aegis of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), rose on Monday from their meeting after reflecting on issues of national importance, including the implementation of the new minimum wage.
They resolved to engage the local chapters of Labour unions to decide on consequential adjustments in salaries of workers above Grade Level 06.
In a communique read by their chairman and Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, the NGF commended the progress made by state governments with the enrolment and provision of health insurance cover for citizens through their Social Health Insurance Authorities (SHIAs).
He said that the committee on Excess Crude Account (ECA) headed by Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai would submit its report to National Economic Council (NEC) today.
Fayemi said: “The Governor El-Rufai Committee’s report, if by that, you mean the report the Ad-hoc Committee on the Excess Crude Account and other Special Account, it is not a committee of this forum.
“It is a committee of the National Economic Council (NEC), so we were not expecting any report from him to be submitted here.
“I understand he wants to submit that report tomorrow, but it will be submitted to the appropriate authority, that is, the NEC. As you are aware, NEC meets tomorrow.”
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On the framework for states to refund the N614 billion bailout funds, Fayemi said: “I don’t know what the issue is, but that is currently being deducted from the state, as far as I am aware, from the states’ accounts.”
The forum also remembered Dr. Stella Adedavoh, the physician who attended to a patient from Liberia during the Ebola outbreak in 2014 in Lagos State.
The communique reads in part: “Governors reviewed current progress in the implementation of the New Minimum Wage Law and resolved that consequential increments will depend on the capacity of each State government.
“Following a health update by the NGF Secretariat, the Forum commended the rapid response of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency to nip the August 2019 yellow fever outbreak which, broke out across parts of the country.
“Members pledged to commit counterpart resources to strengthen mass vaccination campaigns in their respective states.
“Members commended the progress made by state governments through their SHIAs to enroll and provide health insurance cover for citizens across the country.
“In the last one year, state governments have registered over two million people compared to five million Nigerians registered under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) over the last 14 years.
“The forum remembered Dr. Stella Adedavoh, the physician who attended to ‘patient o’ during the Ebola outbreak in 2014 in Lagos State.
“Dr. Adedavoh died from Ebola virus on 21st October 2014, but memory lives on with the dream of ‘Healthcare for all Nigerians.”
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