 |
| President Buhari |
He said he was on a rescue mission to correct the mistakes of past governments.
This came as the 36 governors have decided to reduce the size of their convoys, excessive travel among others to fight the recession.
These were the highlights of the National Economic Council, chaired by the Vice President NEC Yemi Osinbajo Presidential Villa, Abuja.
car the exemption of the federal government is coming barely a week after the National Chairman of the ruling party, all progressive Congress, APC, Chief John Oyegun, he admitted that some early missteps of the government on taking office in May 2015 affected the country's economy adversely.
Similarly, Imo State Governor, Mr. Rocahs Okoroacha, who is also an APC controller, as you recall, recently accepted blame for the economic crisis to the APC account.
APC on rescue mission
But the briefing House Correspondents at the end of the meeting Wednesday of the National Economic Council, NEC, Minister for the Budget and the national programming, Mr. Udo Udoma next governor Nasir el-Rufai Kaduna and Anambra State Deputy Governor, Mr. Nkem Okeke acquitted Federal government from accusation, saying that the APC government was on a rescue mission.
He said: "We have not and we are not responsible for the current economic situation we are in. We are in fact a rescue team, a team that works to save Nigeria from where we are.
"Under President Buhari, we are determined to take Nigeria by the situation. The situation began long before he came. As you know, the price of oil began to fall from 2014, when it was about $ 110 and from January this year, was below $ 30. Unfortunately, not saved.
"We are determined to take Nigeria as a nation that consumes a nation that produces. That is why we are developing a plan for economic recovery and that is our goal. We are committed to success."
Udoma stated that NEC also considered practical steps to free the country from recession.
We cut ourselves after aides, foreign travel
Revealing that the Council also discussed other measures taken by the 36 governors to beat the economic downturn, el-Rufai when asked to highlight them said they had decided to reduce the march of political aides, the size of their convoys, local and trips abroad, among others.
He also gave a federal government inclination to merge some agencies and parastatals.
Speaking of the Niger Delta, the governor said that the unrest in the region which has drastically affected the oil production has been a topic during the meeting.
He said: "Governors also raised concerns about the situation in the Niger Delta. You know that we will be budgeted producing 2.2 million barrels of oil a day. At some point, oil production fell to one million barrels per day .
"This has significantly influenced the nation's revenue and the most affected were the states of the Niger Delta who get most of their revenue from the nation because the less produced, the less they have."
Sign up here with your email
ConversionConversion EmoticonEmoticon