Vice President Kashim Shettima has implored governors of the 36 states of the federation, ministers and other public officials to work towards achieving the kind of inclusive growth and economic progress that trickle down to the everyday lives of Nigerians.
Shettima stated this on Monday in Abuja while delivering his keynote address during the National Economic Council (NEC) Conference.
The Vice President in a statement issued Monday by his Senior Special Assistant to The President on Media & Communications, Stanley Nkwocha said the prevailing wisdom among developed economies has moved beyond growth for its own sake to sustainable growth that accommodates all citizens.
He stated: “The inclusive growth on our radar is not an exercise in sloganeering. We have confronted the macroeconomic obstacles before us. What remains is to ensure that progress filters down to the everyday lives of our people. This is precisely why the National Economic Council remains the most suitable vehicle for delivering the promise of inclusive growth.
“Our mission is incomplete if a child born in Lafia does not have the same chance to thrive as one born in Lagos; if the farmer in Makurdi, the entrepreneur in Aba, and the student in Sokoto cannot all find dignity, opportunity, and hope within the Nigerian dream.”
Shettima pointed out that while the NEC conference is a moment to take stock of the tasks ahead, the event also demonstrated the harmonious relationship President Bola Tinubu has shared with NEC through the “memorable years of inevitable and transformative reforms aimed at resetting the foundations” of the nation’s economy.
He applauded Tinubu for improving Nigeria’s economic fortunes, noting that it would be difficult for anyone to deny the sincerity with which the President “has honoured his promise to insulate the Nigerian economy in a world increasingly shaped by geopolitical tensions and rising economic protectionism.”