Governors of the South-West region have agreed to establish a Joint Surveillance and Monitoring Team to address the rising insecurity in the area. The decision was reached during a meeting of the South-West Governors’ Forum held in Lagos on Thursday.

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who chairs the forum, announced the resolution on his X (formerly Twitter) handle. “Recognising emerging security threats, we resolved to establish a Joint Surveillance and Monitoring Team to enhance security coordination across the South-West,” he stated.

Governor Sanwo-Olu reiterated the governors’ commitment to taking “decisive actions to ensure the safety and stability of our communities.” The move comes amid growing concerns over security challenges in the region, including kidnapping, banditry, and other criminal activities.

During the meeting, the governors passed a vote of confidence in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, citing improvements in economic stability, sustained fuel supply, and the stabilization of the exchange rate. However, they acknowledged the impact of rising inflation on food prices, blaming “unscrupulous middlemen in the supply chain” for the crisis.

To address food inflation, the governors agreed to create a State Food Inflation Joint Monitoring Team and establish Aggregation Centres and Food Hubs. These initiatives aim to streamline food distribution and reduce costs for consumers.

The forum also commended the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), introduced by the Tinubu administration, for benefiting students in the region. They urged eligible students to take advantage of the initiative to further their education.

Additionally, the governors expressed gratitude to the Federal Government for establishing the South-West Development Commission (SWDC), with its headquarters in Cocoa House, Ibadan, Oyo State. They also praised the management of Odu’a Investment Company Limited for its stewardship of regional assets.

The governors called on the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission to strengthen collaboration with state Commissioners for Agriculture to boost industrialization and infrastructure development in the region.