(http://peoplesdailyng.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Gov-Jang.jpg) (http://peoplesdailyng.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Gov-Jang.jpg)By Lawrence Olaoye
Twenty out of the 36 governors yesterday shunned a meeting convened by a factional Chairman of the Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF), Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau state.
Jang had called the meeting to deliberate and take a common position on the crisis ignited by the shortfalls in the allocations to states and local governments of the federation.
Although, the Rivers state Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, had warned his colleagues not to attend the meeting, 16 governors were present.
Finance Commissioners of the 36 states of the federation and representatives of the 774 local governments in the country had last week walked out on the Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Yerima Lawan, who chaired the Federal Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) for failing to settle the arrears of about N160 billion for February as agreed.
Based on the disagreement at the FAAC Conference, President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday summoned the 36 governors to a meeting with a view to resolving the logjam.
Responding to questions from newsmen after the meeting, Jang said the governors discussed the impasse caused by the FAAC boycott and that the body would not disclose the outcome of the meeting until they meet with the President.
Reacting to the statement issued by his rival NGF Chairman, urging him to stop impersonating him, Jang said he was not an impostor and had never impersonated anyone.
Asked why only 16 governors attended the meeting Jang said the NGF needed only 12 governors to form a quorum.
The 16 governors who attended the meeting include those of Abia, Benue, Akwa-Ibom, Plateau, Ebonyi, Ondo, Kogi and Taraba states.
The others were governors of Delta, Katsina, Enugu, Anambra, Gombe, Bayelsa, Bauchi and Cross Rivers states.
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A crisis is the last thing we need now when it comes to such association. I hope things turn out good at the end of the day.