Nigeria’s Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, has disclosed that the social investment plans of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, including the Conditional Cash Transfer and School Feeding programmes would be a new model that would be sold to other African countries soon.
He stressed that once this model succeeds, “it may become a model to sell to other countries in Africa.”
The Vice President, who just returned last night from a visit to South Africa, spoke to news men after separate meetings with both President Jacob Zuma and Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa.
An important part of the solution to bridge the inequalities, he noted, is investing in education, stressing that proper education would help to define the true narratives of how Nigeria and South Africa have bonded in the past. He recalled how Nigerian and the South African peoples collaborated successfully during the movement against apartheid rule, adding that proper education on how both Nigeria and South Africa collaborated in the past is the way to end some of the divisive occurrences recorded recently, including attacks against other nationals in South Africa.
The Vice President also advised African leaders not to be planning their policies as if there are no huge inequalities in their countries, saying that in Nigeria: “we now have to plan our budgets as a nation with the realization of the huge number of the extremely poor in our population.”
Professor Osinbajo who attended the annual Pan-Africa Prophetic Gathering hosted by the House of Revival Church in Brakpan, was hosted to a Business dinner by the members of the South African Chamber of Commerce and also held an interactive session with Nigerians based in the country.
At the dinner, he advised Nigerians and South Africans to put aside any differences and pursue prosperity across the two countries, with the mind to break any barriers.
He said that the governments of both countries would on their part create enabling environments to do business.
“We need to create an enabling environment where people who want to do business don’t have to compromise themselves, there are those who would rather not do business if they have to compromise.”
He announced that soon, President Muhammadu Buhari will host President Zuma in Abuja as both leaders are now working to boost diplomatic relations of the two nations.
He said during the visit, issues of common interests to both Nigeria and South Africa would be discussed.
“We are looking forward to seeing him-(President Zuma). And we thought it might be useful to mention one or two things that will be important in the meeting that he will be having with President Buhari very shortly.”
While in South Africa, Professor Osinbajo held several engagements, including private events, a meeting South African leaders in Midrand on the sidelines of the ruling African National Congress, ANC policy conference in Midrand. [myad]
