To cushion the debilitating effect of the falling oil prices on Nigerians and effectively revitalize the economy, the South-South South-East Professionals have called on president Muhammadu Buhari to declare a 3 year state of emergency on the sector.
The professionals who noted that the economy of the country was currently in a bad state, said that unless proactive measures were taken, Nigeria would be faced with a bleak future.
The advice was the fall out of an interview the President South-East South-South Professionals, Mr. Emeka Ugwu-Oju granted to the State House Correspondents at the end of a meeting with Vice President Yemi Osinabjo at the presidential villa, Abuja yesterday.
Leading a delegation of the forum to the villa, Ugwu-Oju also campaigned against giving preferential treatment to some individuals to the detriment of the economy. He said the country’s growth required the collective sacrifice of every Nigerian despite their social status.
“On the current state of the economy, we strongly suggested that Mr. President should as a matter of urgency in consultation with the National Assembly, declare a three-year state of emergency on the economy.
And this is not about APC and PDP. It is something that is non-partisan. Our economy is bad. “We were having $100 a barrel and now, we might not have $50 a barrel in the next three years and we have to factor it in.
“This issue of fuel scarcity is a typical example of what has happened. We didn’t plan for it before. We now have to get every citizen, not a question of Mr. Bad or Mr. Good. The total leadership has to realise that all Nigerians have to come together. We have to roll up our sleeves so that everyone has a role to play.
“We have to be sacrificing. It is not just the poor that should be sacrificing alone. For example, I see no reason why any minister, governor or whoever should be traveling outside economy class. We have to show that things are bad.
You can’t tell me things are bad and I see you drinking champagn, flying first class or private jet. Same goes for the private sector.
“These were the things we tried to make the vice president know and then communicate.
We had a good engagement and as you know, he is very intelligent, very hardworking, very cerebral and we are happy he is the vice President.”
(Vanguard)
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