Buhari
President
Muhammadu Buhari yesterday explained that he is not disposed to the
devaluation of the naira as being canvassed in some quarters because
previous exercise failed to benefit the nation and the generality of
Nigerians.
He said he stands to be convinced about
the tangible benefit the vast majority of Nigerians will derive from any
such devaluation now.
Buhari spoke at a meeting with members of the Council of Retired Federal Permanent Secretaries at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He said he still holds on firmly to the
same conviction which motivated his principled resistance to devaluation
during his tenure as military head of state.
“When I was military head of state, the
IMF and the World Bank wanted us to devalue the naira and remove petrol
subsidy, but I stood my ground for the good of Nigeria,” his Special
Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, quoted him as saying.
“The Naira remained strong against the
dollar and other foreign currencies until I was removed from office in
August, 1985 and it was devalued.
“But how many factories were built and how many jobs were created by the devaluation?
“That is why I’m still asking to be convinced today on the benefits of devaluation.”
He welcomed the Council’s pledge of
support for the successful implementation of his administration’s change
agenda, especially in such priority areas as improving security,
curbing corruption and revitalizing the national economy.
He added: “I am glad you have rightly identified the key issues we campaigned on.
“We need a dynamic bureaucracy which will not mislead us into taking wrong decisions.”
The Council was established in 2004 to
serve as a platform for retired permanent secretaries to offer
constructive advice to government on key policy issues.
Chief Philip Asiodu, pioneer chairman of
the council, prayed that the administration would succeed where its
predecessors had failed because, as he said, Nigeria has already lost
many opportunities for progress.
“We are non-partisan. The interest of
Nigeria is paramount to us and we are anxious that you should succeed,”
Chief Asiodu told the President.
0 comments:
Post a Comment