Presidential aspirant Peter Obi has met with top Moroccan government officials as part of his plans to understudy the best performing economies in Africa.
Mr Obi, in a telephone interview, expressed belief that Nigeria, with its abundant resources, could be on the right developmental track, with strict implementation of progressive policies.
The former governor, who is currently in Morocco, revealed that the meetings involved officials in areas of security, economy and education.
He said he has stopped comparing Nigeria with the developed countries but has chosen to study and compare Nigeria with better performing economies in Asia, such as China, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Phillipines.
According to him, his comparison also includes African countries with politically stable, rapidly-growing and large populations of over 30 million, such as Egypt, Morocco, South Africa, and Ghana.
“Here in Morocco, I have held useful meetings with top government officials in areas of security, education and the economy. I have also had extensive meetings with captains of industry; for example, the President of Confédération Générale des Entreprises Du Maroc (CGEM), Mr Abdu Souleye Diop, and the Chairman of Casablanca Stock Exchange and CEO of Bank Populaire, Kamal Mokdad. Our discussions have deepened my belief that, although our economy appears distressed and hopeless, the situation can be turned around to kick-start the growth trajectory,” Obi said.
He concluded that the first step was to move the economy from being consumption-based to become production-based.
