The plans of the Federal Government in growing the economy and changing the lives and livelihood of Nigerians for the better is largely dependent on the shape of events this year. Unarguably, President Muhammadu Buhari focuses on nation-building, security and unity of Nigeria, despite the country’s many challenges. He is passionate about laying a solid foundation for the transformation of the country which future leadership can take forward.
Nigeria faces challenges no doubt, and 2021 is a pivotal year. To state that Nigerians live in challenging times is also true. The realities include a world faced with a pandemic the scale of which hasn’t been seen in 100 years. The crisis has crippled economies of many powerful countries. And last year, it destroyed global supply chains and disorganized once productive and viable sectors of the economy in different countries.
Nigeria has its own fair share of these. According to the world bankwhile Nigeria has made some progress in socio-economic terms in recent years, its human capital development remains weak due to under-investment. “It ranked 152 of 157 countries in the world bank’s 2018 human capital Index.The country continues to face massive developmental challenges, including the need to reduce the dependency on oil and diversify the economy, address insufficient infrastructure, build strong and effective institutions, as well as address governance issues and public financial management systems. These pre-existing structural challenges have left the Nigerian economy especially vulnerable to the COVID-19 outbreak and its consequences.
Inequality, in terms of income and opportunities, remains high and has adversely affected
poverty reduction. The lack of job opportunities is at the core of the high poverty levels, regional inequality, and social and political unrest.”
Despite all these, the Buhari administration has within limited resources designed responses that are targeted at mitigating the full impact of these scourges. What happens this year determines how well the responses will succeed.
But the country, in fragile financial and social health, is being propped up by an army of certain nationalist individuals in a crusade against people bet
ting on its demise. Key members of President Buhari’s cabinet, policymakers, and certain influential characters are among these pillars of support.
These include Vice President YemiOsinbajo, National Security Adviser, Gen Munguno; DG Directorate of state security (DSS)YussufBichi, the ministers of Interior, RaufAregebesola, Transport-Rotimi Amaechi, Works and Housing-Babatunde Fashola, Communication and digital economy-Isah Pantami, Finance-Zainab Ahmed, Health-OsagieEhanire, Trade, and Commerce-Niyi Adebayo, Labour-Chris Ngige, members of the Governors Forum, led by Ekiti state Governor KayodeFayemi, the Governor Central Bank of Nigeria, the National Economic Advisory Council led by Prof Doyin Salami. These will help shape events this year, along with some critical agencies and MDAs such as the Nigeria Customs Service and the Nigerian Ports Authority.
Influential characters outside government include former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Heads of State: General Yakubu Gowon, General AbdulsalamAbubakar, former Vice–President Atiku Abubakar, GeneralTheophilus Danjuma, Chief Edwin Clarke, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Prof Wole Soyinka, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
So what’s up? What happens this year?
The Economic Sustainability Plan of the Federal Government has earmarked N2.7 trillion earmarked for it, in spending to create and sustain jobs and livelihoods for those who have been impacted the most by the COVID-19 crisis. The Federal Government will also galvanize productivity through various other packages designed to boost the SMEs across the country.
Despite battling with low public revenues, and the hydra-headed monster of low oil price and a reduced production quota from OPEC, this administration remains committed to honouring the promises made to the Nigerian people across the key areas of Security, Economy and fighting Corruption.
The year will witness one or two Inter-Ministerial Retreats being held. The entire Government apparatus will gather to review performance over the lastone year, with a singular objective of identifying how to improve in those areas where successes fell short of target, and how to replicate those key elements that led to success in others.
Frank conversations will take place between the participants and independent assessors. Amongst the critical themes that emerged from the two-day session was the need to improve focus, coordination, and collaboration amongst Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, and the importance of rigorous execution, monitoring, and evaluation of projects and activities against set targets.
Expectedly, Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council, (PEBEC) led by Professor YemiOsinbajo will feature prominently to define the course of the year. In a renewed attempt at further deepening the reforms of the nation’s business environment, the PEBECmembers will work seamlessly with ProfessorOsinbajo.
Others of the PEBEC include the Ministers of Industry Trade and Investment, OtunbaNiyi Adebayo, the Vice Chairman of PEBEC; Finance, Budget, and National Planning, HajiyaZainab Ahmed; Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi; Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; Interior, OgbeniRaufAregbesola; Budget and National Planning (State), Clem Agba; Special Adviser on Ease of Doing Business, Dr. JumokeOduwole, and Senator AishatuDahiru Ahmed, representing the National Assembly among other top government officials.
Recently, PEBEC has resolved that CEOs and Heads of some Federal Government regulatory agencies be presented with the outcome of a recent survey that exposes major pitfalls in the operations of the agencies.
The Cost of Compliance Report which was presented to the Council at its first virtual meeting of early this year revealed persistent corruption, the duplicity of functions, poor service orientation, and several anti-business disposition in some of the regulatory agencies.
Vice President YemiOsinbajo, SAN, who presided over the meeting directed that CEOs and heads of such government regulatory agencies involved should be presented with the outcomes, and interaction should take place regarding some of the worrying disclosures in the report of the survey conducted by Pricewaterhouse Coopers, PwC.
Prof Osinbajo who said the report revealed human issues that are not unavoidable, stressed the important roles regulatory agencies play in ensuring businesses are able to thrive seamlessly without inhibition. He noted that doing otherwise would only jeopardize the government’s efforts in creating a conducive business environment. The focus will be on this area this 2021.
In the area of domestic policy actions this year, Nigerians will see critical decisions being taken around the economy. These are decisions which previous governments had neglected over the years, and as a result, cost the country several billions of dollars.
These domestic policy decisions are by no means easy but are in the best interest of development and President Buhari’s nation-building effort. The impact of this decision is to have an improved allocation of very scarce resources, create an opportunity for private sector investment to return to sectors where government intervention had created distortions in various ways. The return of the private sector promotes job creation and provides for the entrepreneurial genius that is embedded in Nigerians.
President Buhari will move to settle the rift between farmers and Fulani herders in the South-west, where the issue had blown into an open confrontation in Ondo and Oyo state, where there was even direct attack on the Seriki Fulani at Igangan town, Ibarapa area of Oyo state. The president is also aware that there are historic fissures that exist in various locations across the country. Of course, he has advocated for dialogues between key parties who are direct stakeholders in ensuring peace.
Many elder statesmen, traditional rulers, and influential figures will be playing a leading role in bridging and or mediating these fissures to bring about lasting peace. This is one area where influential people like His Eminence the Sultan of Sokoto and Ooni of Ife and some other traditional rulers will matter this year. General Gowon and General Abdulsalam Abubakar will probably go round on peace-building initiatives to meet stakeholders, mostly traditional rulers.
In a highly fragmented landscape, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has mastered the art of using the media “to really stoke excitement.” We can expect him to that this year. Gen Danjuma, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, and Sheik Gumi will also be in the news.
Other giants like Atiku, Adebanjo, and Clarke are also there. But Obasanjo is probably more of an attention-seeking persona, he’s much more of a showman. We will see pretty much of this in the course of the year.
Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Swept on by the success of his strategy and big thinking, he is considered by many fans to be a visionary, his slightest word enough to sway millions of people.
the mere mention of the name of the publisher of the Nation newspaper apparently delights many people. He is likely going to be much in the news this year.
All these influential figures will shape the year pretty much. They will invest their time in trying to ensure the unity of the Nigerian state. They will build bridges over those fault lines and pour water to douse the burning embers of ethnicity and religious differences so that the values of tolerance and peaceful co-existence become cherished as common assets for all.RaufAregbesola, minister of interior will be much involved with this. So also is AlhajiBich, DG DSS as well as General Monguno, the National Security Adviser.
Government’s attention will also be on employment generation. President Buhari is known to be concerned with how Nigeria growing youthful population can compete in a world that has no boundaries and barriers, given the country’s natural resources and its very fertile land. Focus will be on how the country can best improve agricultural practices and increase yields per hectare, so that youth are encouraged into agriculture as a choice and farmers benefit from their sweat and honest labour.
These are the things that will occupy governance in 2021. They will occupy the thoughts of the President Buhari too, as he is focused on deepening Nigeria’s unity and laying a solid foundation for the transformation of the country so that future leadership can build on, march towards prosperous nation building.
Add a Comment