We Must Visit Edo State: NGGT Insists

In light of the recent criticism that has greeted the National Good Governance Tour, the NGGT team has insisted it will go ahead with its visit to project sites embarked upon by the Federal Government in Edo state and any other state that decides to opt out.It would be recalled that the Edo state governor, Adams Oshiomhole, distanced the state from the proposed tour which he said is a burden on the state’s lean resources. He cited the team’s ‘bogus’ proposal as reason for the state’s decision to opt out.
Coordinator of NGGT, Mr Samuel Ajayi, made in a statement on Saturday, said that the “Tour Team will go ahead and inspect Federal projects in such states.”
“But where any state chooses not to participate, it can opt out of the NGGT without blackmailing the Tour Team” Mr Ajayi declared.
“It has become imperative to set the records straight, following comments credited to the Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, wherein he declared that he would not use state resources to fund the National Good Governance Tour (NGGT) visit to his state” the statement read.

Explaining the origin and duty of NGGT, the statement noted that the tour is a programme designed by the Federal Ministry of Information in collaboration with the National Planning Commission and the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Performance Monitoring and endorsed by the 36 State Governors under the aegis of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) and the National Economic Council, to publicize the development programmes and projects of all tiers of government in the country.
“It is a non-partisan tour involving the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists; (NUJ) the Radio, Television and Theatre Arts Workers Union (RATTAWU); leaders of women and youth organisations; National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS); National Council of Women Societies (NCWS); leaders of non-governmental organisations; operatives of security agencies; representative(s) of the Nigeria Governors Forum Secretariat; and reporters from the nation’s print and electronic media.”
So far, the NGGT team has visited 14 states in the North-Central, South-East and the South-South geo-political zones of the country.