Forum Tasks Candidates On Economy

The Forum of south-south Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture has urged presidential candidates of political parties to focus on how to improve on the nation’s economy.

The president of the forum, Prince Billy Harry, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Port Harcourt on Thursday that the nation’s economy was critical in the build-up to the April elections.

He said that the business community was interested in how the various candidates would tackle the nation’s economy and bring it back on course.

Harry, who is also the vice-president, National Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, said that the business community was desirous of rapid economic growth.

“We expect that every presidential candidate must have a clear cut policy on how to deliberately grow the economy of Nigeria.

“Where are we today? What is our GDP? What are the things that we need able to grow us? These are the topical issues that every candidate should be canvassing.

“They must focus on that deliberate policy that they will have that will make the difference for the business community to support them,” he said.

Harry said that the business community acted like the centre of every nucleus family or the middle class of the nation.

“And as the middle class of the nation, we have a say in what happens in the policy direction and execution of government policies.

“Policies that are made without clear-cut understanding of how the general populace will take it are not going to be successful,” he said.

Harry added that it was vital for the business community to know how the presidential candidates would run the nation’s economy which, he said was crucial to the nation’s survival.