FG Tells Governors How To Access World Bank’s $500m Fund

The Federal Government on Tuesday briefed the state governors on how to access a $500m World Bank fund, which hitherto had remained inaccessible.

The Chairman, Nigerian Governors’ Forum and Governor of Zamfara State, Abdulazeez Yari, disclosed this to State House correspondents at the end of the forum’s meeting held inside the old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Yari said the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health briefed the governors on how to go about accessing the fund.

He, however, did not provide further details on the briefing.

“There is a fund from the World Bank that states cannot access. So, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health briefed us on how we can access the $500m,” he said.

Yari said President Muhammadu Buhari gave directives to officials who briefed the governors during the meeting.

He said the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, also promised the governors that they would soon see a new NNPC in the way the firm would be conducting its business.

Yari added, “Usually, we (state governors) used to meet. Today, this meeting was for so many agencies to do presentations to us.

“Some of them were ordered by Mr. President to come and do presentations where they need the governors to come in for the betterment of the states.

“We are supposed to take eight presentations, but because of time constraints, we only took two.

“We have taken that of the United Nations Population Fund/World Bank and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation; and the next one we are taking is that of the National Mathematical Centre, National Population Commission and NASENI.

“The NNPC has briefed us on its current programmes and other agencies will do same. This will continue. We will take NCC (Nigerian Communications Commission) on multiple taxation. So, we decided to step them down until November.”