AIYEDATIWA, OTHER GOVERNORS ATTEND NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL MEETING
***As President Tinubu assured Governors that his administration would address issues that devalue the lives of Nigerians.
Ondo State Acting Governor and Deputy Governor, Hon Lucky Aiyedatiwa and other Governors attended the National Economic Council meeting which was inuagurated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Thursday.
While inuagurating the NEC meeting, the President said the task of turning around Nigeria’s economy from the age-long status of “potential to pragmatic” had started with the removal of fuel subsidy and unification of exchange rates, urging the 36 state governors to join the fray .
President Tinubu listed eight priority areas for urgent attention as he called for collective frameworks that will stimulate a buoyant economy that meets the needs of the poor and vulnerable.
He also assured the governors and other stakeholders at the Inuaguration that his administration would address the issues that devalue the lives of Nigerians with focus on security, economy, jobs, agriculture, monetary policy and fuel subsidy.
His words, “it is worthy of note that the monthly meeting of NEC chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima had remained officially the economic platform for robust dialogue among the federal government, the 36 state governors, the CBN and other key stakeholders” .
“In my inuagural speech of May 29th, 2023, I expressed this administration’s commitment to improving the lives of Nigerians in a manner that not just reflects our humanity, but encourages compassion towards one another and duly rewards our collective efforts to resolve the social ills that seek to divide us”, he said.
“I also listed the principles that will guide our administration and it is as follows: to be impartial and govern according to the constitution and ensure the rule of law; to defend the nation from terror and all forms of criminality; to promote economic growth and development through job creation, food security and putting an end to poverty; to prominently feature women and youths in all our activities; to take proactive steps such as championing a credit culture and; to discourage corruption while strengthening the effectiveness and efficiency of various anti-corruption agencies”, declared the President.
President Tinubu also urged NEC to stimulate ideas, through robust discussion that will improve the livelihood of Nigerians while highlighting the exigency for interventions on poverty.
At the meeting, Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima was formally inaugurated as the chairman of the National Economic Council ( NEC ) by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The Council, chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima will convene once in a month to deliberate on critical national issues and advise the President on Economic matters concerning the Federation.
Their responsibilities include coordinating economic planning efforts and programmes at national and sub-national level.
Subsidy: NEC considers N702bn civil servants allowance recommendations
The National Economic Council, on Thursday, in Abuja, said it considered recommendations from the National Salaries Income and Wages Commission to pay N702bn as cost of living allowance to civil servants as part of intervention plans to mitigate the effects of the discontinuance of petroleum subsidy as announced on May 29, 2023.
The Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, disclosed this to State House Correspondents shortly after the inaugural National Economic Council meeting at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa on Thursday.
Mohammed also revealed that the intervention includes a recommended sum ranging from N23.5bn to N45bn per month as a petroleum allowance for civil servants.
Thursday’s announcement comes barely two weeks after President Bola Tinubu directed the governors to concretise various palliative structures to ease the attendant hardship from the petrol subsidy discontinuance.
According to him, “The NEC had received recommendations on the various ways and means that the country can use whatever increases that we have in the revenue to mitigate the impact that this is going to make on the lives of our workers.
“And so they recommended that there should be a consequential adjustment, estimated at N702.92bn as part of the allowances that should be given as petroleum allowance to all workers and as well as a N23 or N25bn monthly offer to cushion the effect on workers.”
The returning governor said the council received other suggestions to review salaries and wages.
“In addition to the palliative, the government looked at all the issues, challenges and problems holistically and set up a small committee of the council to review and come up with a term of reference to organise areas specifically where this palliative can come from and how it will be dispensed to alleviate the problem of workers and other vulnerable groups,” Mohammed explained.
Members of the committee include the Governor of Kebbi State as Chairman; Anambra representing the South-East geopolitical zone; Governor of Benue, North-Central; Governor of Kaduna, North-West; Governor of Cross River, South-South; Oyo, South-West; and the Bauchi State Governor representing the North-East.
“Other relevant agencies in the committee are the Budget Office, representatives of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Trade Union Congress of Nigeria and the Nigeria Labour Congress and Rukayat El-Rufai.
“We will sit within two weeks to come up with a recommendation to NEC for a holistic decision that will be taken immediately to alleviate the problem that is being encountered by the removal of the subsidy,” the Bauchi Governor explained.
He said the input of the committee on palliatives earlier set up and headed by former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo would not be discarded but integrated into the ongoing process.
