Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, has said the current economic challenges in the country present an opportunity for Nigerians to brilliantly proffer lasting solutions.
He gave the charge at a one-day national policy summit, with the theme, ‘Activating the Policies and Promises in the Renewed Hope Agenda’, organised by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (P-BAT) Academics and Professionals, yesterday, in Abuja.
His words: “We should not just lament, we should come together and put forward our brilliance.
“The decision to remove oil subsidy is a necessary step, however painful. It is only a strong leader that can do this. The President took a tough decision instead of seeking accolades first.
“You can criticise government policies but do it constructively. Capital spending in the 2024 budget is 39 per cent, the highest Nigeria has ever had.” P-BAT Convener and National Coordinator, Prof Yemi Oke, explained that the group desires a paradigm shift from merely criticising government and its policies to engaging the process of governance by offering well thought-through practical suggestions and solutions to support government in the area of policy implementation.
He noted: “Nigeria belongs to all of us. It is not the exclusive preserve of the government or those in public offices, so it is for us to own the process of governance and the process.
“If there are challenges, it is going to affect all of us, so we want inclusivity.
“We should not be seen sitting down, lamenting and agonising as a people. Get involved, get engaged.” Special Adviser to the President on Economy, Dr Tope Fasua, observed that the Renewed Hope Agenda “is still on course, as Nigeria is now running one of the best budgets that has reduced the budget deficit by half.”
He said the reintroduction of commodity exchange boards was critical to market regulation.
HOWEVER, governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have been called upon to stop the blame game on the hardship in the land.
The Tinubu Media Support Group argued that they lacked the moral grounds of absolving themselves of indictment. Chaired by Jesutega Onokpasa, the group said it behooves the governors to act decisively to ameliorate the penury.
It observed: “We find it insulting that people, who are saddled with the constitutional responsibility of taking care of welfare of the citizenry, have the effrontery to make it look like it is the sole duty of the Federal Government to address challenges sparked by fuel subsidy removal.
“These PDP governors, like their counterparts in other parties, have in the last eight months, been receiving far more allocations from the federation account for states and council areas, yet they are opting to play the ostrich when it comes to bringing succour to Nigerians feeling the brunt of the action.
“It is preposterous that governors, who are members of the National Economic Council, are comparing the Nigerian situation to Venezuela with its 190 per cent inflation rate in a country, where people use sack loads of cash to buy basic things.” The group urged Nigerians to be alive to their responsibility of holding state governors and local government chairmen accountable.
