Economy: National Economic Advisory Council urges collaboration between federal, state govts.

Dr Doyin Salami, the Chairman, National Economic Advisory Council has urged States and Federal Governments to work together to ensure economic growth and development of the country.

Salami, one of the panelists at the summit gave the advice during a panel discussion at the 25th Nigerian Economic Summit in Abuja on Monday.

The theme of the 2019 summit was “Nigeria 2050 Shifting Gears’’.

He said it was not proper for the states governments to be going a direction different from that of the Federal Government.

According to him, both governments must work together toward achieving rapid economic development.

He also said for the private sector to thrive, the government must create enabling environment by ensuring that the resources of private investors were secured.

The economist urged Nigeria to take inspiration from the giant countries the nation wanted to compete with, adding that to achieve economic growth, innovations and transformation were critical.

Salami enjoined the country to clearly define which areas the country was focusing on in terms of competing with other advanced countries.

“For me, we must be cleared where it is that the country wishes to compete,’’ he said.

Similarly, Mrs Ibukun Awosika, the Chairman of First Bank, Nigeria Ltd. Also a panelist corroborated what Salami said, stating that the country must identify its areas of development.

Awosika said it must be done in such an area where the world was tending toward to ensure relevance.

She also underscored the need to declare emergency in the education sector to drive economic development.

According to Awosika, there is the need to define the kind of education that would be delivered to Nigerian children.

The chairman noted that the government must work to close the gap by training the children in the areas they were needed the most.

“We need to ensure that what our universities are teaching are the things our industries required so we can prepare the manpower needed in order to close the gap,’’ she added. (NAN)