Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) has noted the secretariat’s proactive development of a State Police Framework, stressing that the document was put together in anticipation of the proposed constitutional amendment.

According to the NGF, the framework outlines key readiness requirements, including governance structures, financing models, human capital standards, digital systems and oversight mechanisms.

These facts were made known by the 36 state governors of the federation after their first monthly meeting at the NGF Secretariat.

In a communique read by the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on behalf of the NGF Chairman, Governor AbdulRazaq AbdulRaham of Kwara State, after the governors’ meeting in the early hours of yesterday, the forum disclosed that it approved the establishment of the NGF Academy & Leadership Centre.

It was observed that the centre, which would serve as a new directorate within the NGF Secretariat, is designed as a flagship platform for sub-national leadership development.

Outlining the rationale for the academy, Sanwo-Olu stated: “The Academy will integrate executive capacity building, applied research, governance advisory, and peer learning to support all 36 states. Governors welcomed progress towards its operationalisation and reaffirmed their support for the initiative as a strategic resource for strengthening governance across the federation.”

About other issues thrashed by the governors during the night-long meeting, the communique disclosed that the forum noted progress on the NGF States Agribusiness Investment Programme (SAIP) – Rice Helpdesk, supported by the Gates Foundation, aimed at strengthening state capacity to drive improvements in rice production and value chain development.

Part of the five-point communique read: “Governors acknowledged the importance of addressing sector-wide institutional, market, and financing constraints and reaffirmed their commitment to supporting implementation at the state level to deliver measurable outcomes in food security and agricultural productivity.”