BEVERLY HILLS, September 21, (THEWILL) – The Senate on Wednesday began debate on Nigeria’s present economic predicament, with the Deputy Senate President, DSP Ike Ekweremadu and Senator Dino Melaye, APC Kogi West, requesting President Muhammadu Buhari to rejig his cabinet by either sacking incompetent ministers or reassigning them to other ministries where they could perform optimally.
While Ekweremadu urged the President to move the Ministers of Finance, Kemi Adeosun; Budget and Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma to other ministries where they could be more productive, Melaye advocated out right sack, asserting that: “we have to tell ourselves the truth at this time of the day, some minister and Buhari’s economic team have failed and they should be sacked”.
The DSP categorically asked Buhari to move the Budget and Planning Minister to Ministry of Trade and Investment, stressing that there was the need to restructure by unbundling the federal government as the government was currently being over loaded.
“Distinguished Senators, look at my friend Senator Udoma Egba, Minister of Budget and National Planning, as a lawyer, what can he do? He can be at his best in a sector related to his area of competence.
“The Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun can be assigned to another ministry to give way to a more competent person because of the situation at hand,” the Enugu-born senator stated
He however harped on the need for diversification of the economy, even as he stated that there must be message of hope from those in government by giving Nigerians the right message.
The Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, in his speech, enjoined his colleagues to be focused on forward looking, noting that the phenomenon was a global one which other countries have successfully overcome.
“The economic recession was not caused by the present government, but a global one and those countries successfully came out of it,” he noted.
In his contribution, Senator Shehu Sani, APC Kaduna Central, noted that the nation’s dependence on oil revenue has been the problem and that the poor in the country have been living under recession, just as he called for cut in the interest rate, diversification of the economy, export of goods and services as well as empowering small businesses.
He however kicked against the sack of ministers because according to him, that will not address the problem.
For Senator Samuel Anyanwu, PDP Imo East, there was the need for a critical Roundtable discussion as he added that the body language of the President must change to attract investors as that would boost the economy and get the country outside the present economic crisis.
Also contributing, Senator George Akume, APC, Benue North West, kicked against the sale of national assets, stressing that those calling for the sale of the assets have the means of buying them.
The All Progressives Congress lawmaker stated that the blame game cannot stop, recalling that former President Olusegun Obasanjo consciously saved over $60billion in Nigeria’s foreign reserve between 1999 and 2007, lamenting that that money was stolen by successive administration.
He pointed out that when former Central Bank governor, Lamido Sanusi cried out that $20billion was missing, government at that time was busy countering the claim, a situation he explained, contributed to the present situation.
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