Nigeria Co-opts Its Richest Industrialist Into Economic Team

President Goodluck Jonathan Friday in Abuja co-opted leading Nigerian Industrialist, Alhaji Aliko Dangote and four others into the Federal Government’s Economic Management Team which held its inaugural meeting at the Presidential Villa.

The other new members of the team are: the Managing Director of Access Bank, Mr. Aigboje Aig Imoukhuede, the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Mrs. Ifueko Omoigui-Okauru and the President of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria.

A 15-member Federal Government Economic Implementation Team headed by the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was also established by President Jonathan to oversee the effective implementation of decisions of the Economic Management Team.

Its other members are the Ministers of Petroleum Resources, Power, Agriculture, Trade & Investment, Works and Health as well as the Ministers of State for Finance and Health, the Chief Economic Adviser to the President, the Special Adviser to the President (Monitoring & Evaluation), the Director-General of the Budget Office, the Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprise and a Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

The Implementation Team is to meet every week while the National Economic Management Team chaired by President Jonathan will meet every fortnight for the next three months, and once every month thereafter.

The Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala made a presentation at Friday’s meeting titled: “Transforming Nigeria/Creating Jobs – A Short to Medium Term Agenda”.

President Jonathan then presided over deliberations on the presentation and measures to achieve macro-economic stability as well as significant improvements in infrastructure, agriculture, manufacturing, education, health and housing in the shortest possible time.