Buhari chairs Council of State meeting- CBN Governor, INEN Chair, IGP to brief Council

President Muhammadu Buhari is presiding over a meeting of the National Council of State currently holding at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Top on the agenda is the meeting are the issues of Naira scarcity, shortage in fuel supply, insecurity and the 2023 general elections which begin in two weeks.

In attendance are former heads of state General Yakubu Gowon (Rtd), General Abdusalami Abubakar (Rtd)and former President Good luck Jonathan.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo joined the meeting virtually.

Others who joined online are the Governor of Sokoto State and Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), Aminu Tambuwal, Kebbi State Governor and chairman of the Progressives Governors Forum, Abubakar Bagudu, Governor of Plateau State and Chairman Northern Governors Forum, Simon Lalong, Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, their counterparts from Osun, Ademola Adeleke, Jigawa,Abubakar Badaru, and Ogun, Dapo Abiodun.
Others are Benue State The Deputy Governors of Benue, Nasarawa and Enugu States are also representing their bosses virtually.

Alfa Belgore, a former Chief Justice is also in attendance. Mahmud Muhammad, another former Chief Justice, is attending.

Those physically attending the meting, apart from President Buhari, are the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, and Head of Service of the Federation, Folashade Yemi-Esan.

Governors physically attending are: Dairu Isiaku of Taraba State, Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna, Babagana Zulum of Borno, Inuawa Yahaya of Gombe, Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos,  Abdulrahman Abdulrazak of Kwara State and the Deputy Governor of Bauchi State, Baba Talla.

The Council will be briefed by the Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emiefele on the currency swap that has created a huge crisis making it difficult for Nigerians to access cash from the banks. The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu , Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba will also brief the meeting on latest preparations for the general elections which begin with the presidential and National Assembly polls on February 25 and will be concluded with the governorship and state assembly polls on March 11.

The National Council of State is an organ of the Nigerian government whose functions include advising the executive on policy making.

Membership of the Council comprises the President, Vice President, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, former presidents, former heads of  state, former chief justices of Nigeria, President of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives, governors of the 36 states of the federation and the Attorney General of the Federation.