BUDGET AND NATIONAL PLANNING

The immediate Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Agba, has said that ‘Nigeria agenda 2050- a perspective plan’ has identified the country’s target in 30 years’ time and how to achieve them.

He said the plan was designed to transform the country into an upper-middle income country, with a significant improvement in per capita income.

Agba spoke on Thursday in Osogbo while delivering a paper entitled, “Strategic thinking for progressive governance in the 21st century’, at the 22nd meeting of the National Council on Development Planning.

At the meeting, he commended President Bola Tinubu for setting up a committee to reform the nation’s tax system.

He said the perspective plan (Nigeria Agenda 2050), aimed to fully engage all resources, reduce poverty, and achieve social and economic stability.Related News

According to him, “It also targets developing a mechanism for achieving sustainable environment consistent with global concerns about climate change; the plan therefore presents the road map for accelerated, sustained and broad-based growth as well as provides broad frameworks for reducing unemployment, poverty, inequality, and human deprivation.”

Agba, who supervised the development of the National Development Plan 2021-2025 and Nigeria Agenda 2050 as minister of state for budget and national planning, said that the path to that goal would pass through six Medium Term National Development Plans, namely NDP (2021-2025) (already developed and published) and subsequent national development plans covering (2026-2030), (2031-2035), (2036-2040), (2041-2045), and (2046-2050).

He said, “The first of the medium-term plans, named NDP 2021-2025, is to make Nigeria a country that has unlocked its potential in all sectors of the economy for a sustainable, holistic, and inclusive development.

“Specifically, the plan aims to generate 21 million full-time jobs and lift 35 million people out of poverty by 2025; thus, setting the stage for achieving the government’s commitment of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years.”

The Nigerian government on Wednesday confirmed that President Muhammadu Buhari approved the purchase and donation of vehicles, worth N1.4 billion, to neighbouring Niger Republic.

The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, told journalists after Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting that the donation was to help Niger address its security concerns.

She said such donations by Nigeria to its neighbours were common.

Ms Ahmed said it is the president’s prerogative to take such decisions after a careful assessment of the situation

“Let me just say that over time, Nigeria has had to support its neighbours, especially the immediate neighbours, to enhance their capacity to secure their countries as it relates to us,” she said while answering questions.

“This is not the first time that Nigeria has assisted Niger Republic, Cameroon or Chad.

“The president makes an assessment as to what is required based on the request of their presidents. Such requests are approved and interventions are provided.

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“It is to enhance their capacity to protect their countries, as it relates to security and also to Nigeria.”

Ms Ahmed said she understood the concerns of Nigerians about the matter since it became public.

“Nigerians have the right to ask questions, but also the president has the responsibility to make an assessment of what is in the best interest of the country and I cannot question the decision myself.

“I have said that this is not the first time and that Nigeria as a country has provided an intervention to our neighbours. It is in the best interest of Nigeria to do so.”

Source: Premium Times