Victor EzejaFollowing the current economic headwinds, Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu, has set up a tripartite economic advisory committee comprising stakeholders from the federal government, state governors, and private sector operators.
This was unveiled at a meeting in Abuja on Sunday.
Some of the stakeholders from the private sector appointed into the committee include Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, Chairman of United Bank for Africa, Mr. Tony Elumelu and Chairman of the BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu.
Nigeria has in recent times been battling with economic challenges such as high inflation rate, naira value depreciation, which have worsened cost of living crisis.
Addressing the meeting, President Tinubu said the aim of setting up the committee is to come up with additional insights on how to stabilize the economy and ensure that Nigerians have “best economic future”.
Tinubu urged the committee members to examine what is being done right or wrong and see how to improve the economy for the overall good.
“We are very much concerned from students to mothers and fathers, farmers, the traders and realising that everyone of us will have to fetch water from the same well.
“We’re looking for additional efforts that’s might help the downtrodden Nigerians and we will provide hope and reassurance that economic recovery is on its way,” Tinubu stated.
While noting that the committee may not have all the answers to Nigeria’s problems, Tinubu assured that they will do their best to get a “marshall plan in place and fashion out the best economic future for this country.”
Speaking about the meeting, Dangote said it was centred on how to tackle the present challenges and improve the economy.
“What we discussed is generally about the economy, food security and security of the nation. We discussed everything in detail. And there is the economic presidential advisory committee which has been set up and I think this will look at all the issues and address them, coming from job creation, food security, coming from also reflected the economy.”
On his part, Tony Elumelu expressed optimism that implementing their discussions at the meeting would help propel the economy and alleviate the current hardship in the country.
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Also speaking on the outcome of the meeting, Anambra State Governor Prof. Chukwuma Soludo said the committee was created to put heads together and come up with ideas to make things work.
“We have one national economy, and it’s the responsibility of the 225 million Nigerians to work together to make it great and we have all the potentials and we have all that it takes to make Nigeria ride through these turbulent times and put the economy back on a sustainable keel,” Soludo stated.
He added that the committee would meet from time to time and make recommendations to the president and the country generally.
Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, said the quest to make the country work needs a collective effort, adding that the state governors have resolved to join President Tinubu in making necessary intervention to cushion the effect of the current economic hardship, while awaiting the implementation of the committee’s recommendations and outcome of the ongoing economic reforms by the federal government.
“So the teeming public should have that confidence that we’re not leaving them alone,” he said.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
