The President, Muhammadu Buhari (retd), said any economic growth that does not positively impact Nigerians in the area of better life and creation of jobs for the youths is meaningless.
In his address at the opening ceremony of the 27th Nigerian Economic Summit tagged ‘Securing Our Future, represented by the Vice President Yomi Osinbajo, the president said to secure the future, the fierce urgency of now is a compelling one that requires taking timely action to solve existing problems to achieve desired national goals and objectives.
In a statement released by Osinbajo’s’ Media Aide, Laolu Akande quoted Buhari to have said that with the coming of the African Continental Free Trade Area, urgent actions must be taken to reposition the national economy to benefit from opportunities created by the regional integration while at the same time protecting local industries and businesses from undue competition.
The statement said Buhari’s views on the Medium-term National Development Plan on growth figures were meaningless if it does not bring about good-paying jobs and better living conditions for Nigerians and create wealth and human capacity development.
The president observed that to achieve the poverty reduction target, there must be an implementation strategy to increase employment which he noted to be an indispensable tool for reducing poverty.