From MUSTAPHA SAYE, Kaduna

Reading the communiqué at the end of their meeting yesterday, at Hassan Usman Katsina House, Kaduna, chairman of the forum, Governor Abubakar Bukola Saraki of Kwara state, said that ‘’the NGF has decided to seek immediate action to update the New Nigerian Newspapers (NNN) and immediate action to conclude the transfer process of the newspapers as well as to ensure that the revoked plots of land belonging to the company are recovered.
The forum also directed the immediate reinstatement of the sacked editor of the New Nigerian Newspapers, nothing that the executive governor of Kogi state was not in any way involved in the matter.
On the recapitalisation of the NNDC, the forum decided to give full support to its capitalisation efforts through ensuring that all states sign the ISO without further delay, adding that such payments will be lodged in an escrow account and will only be accessed by submission of investment proposal to the forum by the NNDC.
NGF also expressed delight with progress so far recorded in the consolidation process of the former Bank of the North with Unity Bank Group and condemned the early conclusion of the integration processes concluded before the deadline set by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
On the law revision, the forum noted that some of the laws of the Northern states require urgent attention and therefore advised each state to immediately take steps to review their laws.
The NGF also condemned in very strong terms the incidence of the recent unfortunate sectarian/religious crises in some states of the North with a resolve to check future occurrences as contained in the recommendation of a peace conference held in the year 2004, adding that the forum had approved the meeting of assembly of traditional rulers in Northern states to assist in further promotion of peaceful co-existence in the region and the assembly is to be inaugurated on May 28, 2006.
However, on the eve of Northern governors meeting, the officials of 2007 Movement, an association of anti-third term legislators had invaded the venue of the meeting and presented their letter to the governors’ meeting.
The letter which was signed by Senator Uche Chukwumerije who is also the chairman of the movement, stated: ‘’We are members of 2007 Movement, which is a bi-partisan platform of federal legislators committed to the sustenance of the cannons of constitutional democracy, rule of law and true federalism.’’
The letter said: ‘’For now, these cannons face a deadly threat and we all shall be victims of a calamity and culprits of history if the tension predicated by the third term agenda detrimental to an unmanageable scale and our dear country comes to grief.’’
It further stated: ‘’Your Excellencies, you know better than many of us that Nigeria is once again at the crossroads: Do we turn to the left or to the right? A turn to the left will lead us to political instability and economic retardation and a turn to the right will lead us to the consolidation of our democracy and peaceful economic development.’’
Senator Chukwumerije, further appealed to Northern governors to rise to the full potential of their greatness as leaders of the nation and keep Nigeria on the track of untrammelled growth by rejecting the satanic temptation of executive tenure extension.
Subsequently, after the meeting, Governor Ahmad Sani of Zamfara state, Boni Haruna of Adamawa state and Abdulkadir Kure of Niger state also called for an immediate press conference which was chaired by Governor Ahmad Sani.
He said they condemned in strongest terms the whole idea of the on-going constitutional amendment which primary objective is to achieve the third term agenda.
He said they also equally condemned other dangerous aspects of the amendments which seek to bring about unitarism as against true federalism that is anchored on devolution of powers to the constituent units of the federation.
Governor Sani also appealed to all Nigerians to raise up to the occasion and resist the unpardonable attempt to foist on people of this country the third term project which is not only selfish but the path to dictatorship, anarchy and total reversal of democratic re-birth.