Jonathan decries bickering among governors, charges them to tackle Nigeria’s challenges

Former President Goodluck Jonathan said on Sunday the Nigeria Governors’ Forum remains the best platform to discuss issues affecting the country.

The former President, who stated this in a chat with journalists in Benin, Edo State, said the antagonism between governors was unnecessary.

Jonathan stressed the coming together of all the governors in a round table to discuss and proffer solutions to issues affecting Nigeria would help the President.

He said: “The governors themselves should continue to meet, I don’t really love a situation where the Northern governors will meet then the Southern governors will cry foul.

“Then the Southern governors will meet then the Northern governors will cry foul, that will not help our country.

“The governors through the NGF should meet, they are the people who run this country, the President is just one person in Abuja.

“The states, especially in a country where the local governments are very weak, it’s the states that people fall back to.

READ ALSO: Jonathan identifies favouritism as cause of Nigeria’s backwardness

“So if the governors of the states meet and dialogue, interrogate things that are good for this country, then we will move forward.

“I don’t really enjoy the antagonism between governors, they should come together and discuss.

“If there are issues that are affecting one or two states, I think the governors should see how they can collectively come with a way to address those issues.”

Governors of some states in the Northern part of the country had during the week condemned their Southern counterparts over some of the decisions taken at last Tuesday’s meeting in Asaba, Delta State.

The southern governors had during the meeting ban open grazing and movement of cattle in the region.

They demanded the devolution of powers, fiscal federal federalism, and state policing among other major decisions at the meeting.

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