Experts, including the governors of the 36 States of Nigeria, local and foreign captain of industry and government have handed over ten policy agenda to President Muhammadu Buhari after a two-day brain storm at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The Presidential Policy Dialogue, which was meant to lay a solid ground for the attainment of the Buhari government next level agenda, took a look at different development models of other developed countries and fashioned out unique model for Nigeria, ahead of the assumption of duty by members of the new Federal Executive Council.
President Buhari, at the close of the two-day session last night, July 25, thanked the experts for making the time to discuss how his government can build a better Nigeria.
“From the presentations, discussions and exchanges, I could clearly see the patriotism and commitment you all have for this country. This gives me hope that we will surely leave a better Nigeria for future generations to come.
“As we come to the end of this Presidential Policy Dialogue Session, the key proposals made by the experts are for the Federal Government to consider the following strategic initiatives over the next four years:
a. Stimulate significant investments in the industrialisation of agriculture;
b. Develop policies that will facilitate private sector participation in infrastructure projects;
c. Introduce policies and regulatory changes that will unlock growth potentials in the petroleum sector – both upstream and downstream;
d. Aggressively improve the ease of doing business by reducing bureaucracy and improving inter agency collaboration;
e. Providing incentives for investors especially in agriculture and power sectors;
f. Facilitate construction of mass and affordable housing to propel economic growth and reduce the massive housing deficit;
g. Launch of a consumer credit scheme with the Banking Sector for citizens to have access to long term and affordable mortgages and consumer credit;
h. Address our security challenges by working in collaboration with the private sector;
i. Fix the power sector by addressing some of the regulatory uncertainties and operational shortcomings of the key players;
j. Drive efficiency in public service delivery through realignment of the Ministries, Departments & Agencies (MDAs) and implementation of e-governance solutions”
President Buhari promised that the proposals put forward by the experts will be discussed and finalised with the new ministers at executive level for implementation.
“Although most of the proposals were targeted at the Federal Government, I also want to remind the State Governors to do their part especially in the areas of education and health care, which are within their constitutional responsibilities.
“Our collective goal is to implement initiatives that will lift our citizens out of poverty through mass employment and social safety nets. This is achievable with the right fundamentals in place. We must all keep in mind that a successful economy is one where prosperity is felt by the majority.”
