'Seun Ibukun-Oni, Abuja
DAILY COURIER - Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State on Monday emerged as the Chairman of Southern Governors' Forum by consensus among the sixteen Governors present at the meeting held in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
It would be recalled that the late Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State led the forum until his demise in 2023.
Announcing the resolution of the Southern State Executives after the meeting, the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwoolu, said the decision of the forum was unanimous and in line with their conviction on the leadership acumen of Abiodun to successfully lead the forum.
In his reaction, Governor Dapo Abiodun expressed appreciation for the confidence reposed in him to take the mantle of leadership of the forum, as he promised to lead with inclusiveness and efficiency.
He added that he would work commitedly with his Vice, Professor Charles Soludo, who is the Governor of Anambra State to proactively address fundamental issues of regional interests.
"This is indeed a significant honour bestowed on me by my esteemed colleagues, and I deeply appreciate their confidence in my leadership. Together, we will strive to ensure quality governance across our states and collectively engender exceptional regional development throughout Southern Nigeria.
"I also extend my congratulations to my colleague, Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State, who has been elected as the Vice Chairman," he said.
The newly-elected chairman of the Southern Governors’ Forum, Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, says with over 8 million hectares of land, Southern Nigeria should be self-sufficient in food production.
He noted that the Forum made up of all the 17 governors in the Southern part of Nigeria has decided to be more deliberate about promoting agriculture and ensuring food security in the region.
“What we discussed as a region was to ensure that we become more deliberate and more intentional about food security and agriculture,” Governor Abiodun said.
“This is a region that has over 8 million hectares of land; we don’t have any business not growing what we eat and eating what we grow.
“So, governors resolved that going forward. We are going to be intentional and more deliberate about promoting agriculture and ensuring food security.”
The focus on food security and agriculture is only one of the many issues discussed by the governors in the meeting, according to the Ogun State governor.
He said that infrastructural development was also among the areas the governors resolved to look into, adding that they decided that the region must have a multi-modal transport master plan that will connect rail, road air, and water transportation.
The move, according to the governor, follows the realisation by the Forum that transportation is a key enabler in investment promotion, facilitation, and of course the general well-being of the people.
According to him, the governors spoke about insecurity in the region, backing state, community, and regional security outfits which he said almost all the zones in the region have set up.
