NIGERIA Economic Society, NES, Tuesday took a swipe at President Muhammadu Buhari on his appointment, saying that those in his economic team are not professionals.
According to Professional Economists, the engagement of novice in managing the economy explained why the Nation’s economy was nose-diving, adding that it was very wrong in the first place to exclude qualified and knowledgeable economists in the National Economic Management Team ( NEMT).
Speaking in Abuja on the exclusion of economists in the National Economic Management Team by President Muhammadu Buhari during a visit on the Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Abia South, the President of Nigeria Economic Society ( NES), Professor Sarah Anyanwu said that with the exclusion of NEC members from NEMT, the Nation’s economy has been nose-diving.
Meanwhile, the Senate has berated President Buhari over the non-inclusion of economists in the Nation’s economic team, just as they said that they were not surprised at the parlous state of the Nation’s economy since those managing it have little or no knowledge on how to make it vibrant.
NES President, Professor Sarah Anyanwu said, ” Members of the Nigeria Economic Society ( NES), had in the past included in the National Economic Management Team for the required professional advice and guidance on whatever economic policy to be adopted by the federal government. ”
The practice assisted the past government in making sound economic policies required by circumstances or situations on the ground. ”
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But the exclusion of economists in the National Economic Tram under the present administration has glaringly shown the adverse effects on the economy which by those who can read the indices and indicators correctly, is nose-diving.
Our exclusion from the NEMT is seriously making the Nation’s economy to be unstable and somewhat directionless.”
The NES President who also lamented that the various MDAs, are not patronising them for required expertise and capacity training of staffers, however, requested the National Assembly to expedite action on consideration and passage of the bill NES forwarded to both Chambers early in the year.
Angered by her submission, the Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe and other Senators like Emmanuel Bwacha, George Sekibo, Sahabi Yau and Chukwuka Utazi, said that they were not surprised at the parlous state of the Nation’s economy.
Abaribe said ” We are not surprised that the economy went into recession and moving towards that direction again, since as disclosed here, required knowledge from the experts are not even sought for”
He, however, assured the NES members that expeditious consideration, will be given to their bill, already before both Chambers of the National Assembly. On the Entourage of the NES team, were Professors Peter Shibayan of the Department of Economics, University of Abuja, Eyilola Olaniyi also from the same Department, University of Abuja, etc.
