Governors will meet with EFCC and CBN over security votes

All of the pertinent officials in the issue are expected to attend the virtual meeting as scheduled.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will meet with the governors of the 36 states that make up the federation on Tuesday to discuss the security votes in their respective jurisdictions.

According to a statement from the Nigeria Governors’ Forum’s spokesperson, Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC) and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) would also attend the meeting.

All of the pertinent officials in the issue are expected to attend the virtual meeting as scheduled.

According to Bello-Barkindo, the governors and the nation’s economic and financial institutions would take advantage of the occasion to resolve contentious problems pertaining to their states’ security votes in order to build a better method of administering the cash.

“Furthermore, the meeting will also consider deepening the management and expansion of the cashless policy,” the statement continued, “to further the financial inclusion of all citizens in the ensuing scheme of things, going forward.” The cashless policy went into effect at the time of the redesign of the national currency, the Nigerian Naira, last year.

The Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) requested this meeting in a letter dated March 30 that was written to the NGF Chairman and signed by Modibbo Hamman Tukur, the NFIU Director.

The governors will also suggest uniform development and collaboration on the national addressing and postcode project, which would place Nigeria on level with other developed nations in the world. These proposals will be made in addition to the facilities for national financial inclusion.

In order to address the FATF and EU grey listing in which Nigeria appears, an agreement on harmonising and revising national rules for company entrance and tax collection is also on the table.

As the meeting’s topics were reviewed in the NGF emergency meeting on Thursday, March 30, when it was unanimously decided that a meeting with the agencies was essential, all governors are recommended to prioritise the meeting.