President Muhammadu Buhari has directed a repositioning of Nigeria’s economy, saying a review of the 2020 budget to reflect realities in oil sector, and prioritising health sector infrastructure to respond to the threats posed by COVID-19.
President Buhari gave the directive on Thursday, after the 2nd Regular meeting of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council, PEAC in Abuja. The meeting recommended securitisation of government debt, design and institutionalisation of a revenue stabilisation programme and the imperative of cutting the cost of governance at all levels.
Tough Decisions
The President agreed with the Advisory Council on the need to prepare the country to take the necessary tough economic decisions, including embarking on a national agenda of stakeholder mobilisation, bringing the National Assembly, government organs, private sector and civil society together around a programme to respond to the major challenges confronting the nation.
Measures to Consider
The meeting reviewed the COVID-19 pandemic and its potential economic spill-over effects on the global and Nigerian economy.
The meeting with the Advisory Council reviewed the state of the economy and noted its continued fragility to external shocks in spite of recent gains in output growth.
It also noted, with concern, the changing economic fundamentals as manifested in a renewed cycle of rising prices and weaknesses in the external sector.
The meeting considered indirect effect that would come through the impact of the pandemic on other trading partners and the global economy, with implications of recession that could slow down Nigeria’s fragile growth and trigger exchange rate re-alignment.
