Obasanjo Urges Nigerians to Adopt New Slogan

[Richard Akindele]

President Olusegun Oba-sanjo Tuesday in Abuja urged Nigerians to adopt the new economic slogan, 20-2020.
In his closing remarks at the Second Quarter Stakeholders Forum on “Growing the Nigerian Economy� at the Banquet Hall, State House, the President explained that given the recent successes recorded in the country’s economy, “our objective is for Nigeria to be among the 20 largest economies by the year 2020�.
He said that “if we take this very seriously, the issues of employment, local content, security, export, agriculture, power, manufacturing etc will be taken care of,� noting that “there is no reason why we cannot be there�.
Obasanjo, while underlining the collective responsibility of all stakeholders in reaching that target, stressed that “if we take it as a slogan and work towards it in all sectors, we are surely going to get there.�
The President, who noted that “we have identified a few things we are doing rightly now,� insisted that “we have to deepen and widen them and continue to do them rightly as there will be no going back.�
He thanked the team from Goldman Sachs for its “objective and rational assessment� of the Administration’s socio-economic reform package under NEEDS up till 2003, urging it to update its work on Nigeria given the recent positive economic indices.
The President announced that the next quarterly meeting of the forum which will hold July 4, to review progress on the N50 billion allocated to agriculture, would also pay greater attention to employment generation and export.
He also disclosed that he would brief the forum on the outcome of the Cocoa Africa Summit which he had called for May 6 to urge eight cocoa producing countries in West and Central Africa to seek for new markets for the commodity.
In his opening remarks, President Obasanjo said that he called the forum “to enable us assess where we are, what progress we are making, what new opportunities are emerging, and what challenges we face� stressing that “our economy is yet to get to the cruising level where it can be on autopilot�.
The Ministers of Finance, Agriculture, Power and Steel, the Economic Adviser, the CBN governor and the Group Managing Director (NNPC) made presentations on achievements and challenges of various sectors of the economy, while the Goldman Sach report adjudged the NEEDS programme as “very focused�.
Vice President Atiku Abubakar, PDP National Chairman, Dr. Ahmadu Ali, top government officials and private sector chieftains also participated in the Forum.


http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=44705