Mr Ahmad Sajoh, a Board of Trustee Member of Mindshift Advocacy for Development Initiative, a Lagos based NGO, has urged all stakeholders to support President Muhammadu Buhari’s efforts to improve the economy.
Sajoh, also a former Commissioner for Information and Strategy in Adamawa, made the call on Tuesday in an interview with newsmen in Yola.
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He said that the support became necessary as part of the sacrifice for the needed change.
Sajoh said measures like the closure of the border and the move to borrow money from World Bank to improve power supply were some of the hard decisions recently taken to improve the economy.
“Nigerians need to know that Nigerian Government signed Africa Free Trade Agreement and not free smuggling agreement that will deprive it of legitimate revenue and continue to do incalculable damage to our local agricultural production,’’ Sajoh said.
On the concern on debt burden over World Bank loan to boost power supply, Sajoh said Nigeria was not among the most indebted countries in the world and borrowing to fund power that was needed to boost the economy should be supported.
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“When you have a steady power supply you are going to have a multiplier effect, the power will ginger economic development at all levels.”
He also noted that the recent World Bank ranking of Nigeria as one of the top 10 most improved economies in the world showed that the administration was taking the right steps and deserved the support of all Nigerians.
Sajoh also lauded the formation of a team by the office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Policy Development and Analysis, to be holding monthly policy dialogue with key stakeholders on funding government programmes.
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“The stakeholders are to help advise government on how to procure funds for some of its programmes.
“There is a need to engage in a robust public engagement to enable the public to understand the benefit of increased funding in the hands of government,” Sajoh said.
