Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has described the just
concluded National Economic Council (NEC) retreat as mere jamboree and
waste of over N250 million public fund, saying; “the retreat has
further exposed that the All Progressives Congress (APC) government of
President Mohammadu Buhari lacked economic blueprint as the president
is still talking the way he talked while seeking for votes from
Nigerians.”
The governor said it was funny that the same set of people who as
governors, ruined the economy of their States were the resource
persons at the retreat, asking; “What solution can the likes of former
Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, who as governor plunged the
State into unprecedented debt by borrowing money to build governor’s
lodge, pavilion and uncompleted civic centre proffer to the economy of
Nigeria?”
In a statement issued on Friday, by his Special Assistant on Public
Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Governor Fayose said “it
is strange that close to one year after President Buhari was sworn in,
he still cannot tell Nigerians one major economic step his government
has taken to salvage the economy. He has not taken any key step and
there is no economic team. That is strange!
He said; “I was at the retreat and I can tell Nigerians categorically
that it was just a jamboree. It was a waste of over N250 million
public fund because most of the resource persons were the same people
who ran their States aground.
“Instead of wasting over N250 million on such a jamboree, it would
have been better if the fund is given to those downtrodden Nigerians,
who are trading with as little as N5,000.
“For instance, at N10,000 each, N250 million will go round 25,000
pepper sellers whose capital is not more than N5,000 and that would go
a long way in boosting their trade.
“Even most governors, including those of the APC were not happy with
the economic retreat. Almost everything they proposed was opposed by
the Governors.
“Also, the president in presenting himself as APC president alone and
speaking as if he was still canvassing votes and chose the retreat to
tell the 22 states governed by the APC to build 250,000 housing units
per annum. The question is which state in the present Nigeria can
build 10,000 housing units per year?
“To me, the Federal Government appears not ready to face reality. The
economic retreat sounds like another talk shop retreat and a clear
indication that APC and President Buhari did not have an economic
blueprint even when it took two months after winning election for the
president to assume office.”
