By Akinwale Kasali
President Muhammadu Buhari has disclosed that the Nigeria economy is in bad shape. The number one citizen’s statement is in contrary to what is party, All Progressives Congress, APC, his media aides and loyalists had earlier said, claiming that the Buhari administration has stabilized the economy and fashion out a roadmap for the nation to grow economically.
Sadly, in a meeting today with the governors of the 36 states of the federation on the minimum wage issues that has been at the front burner of discourse, in which the governors said their states are financially incapacitated to pay the N30,000 new minimum wage, the president challenged state governors to redouble efforts in addressing infrastructure deficiencies in their respective states to revamp the nation’s economy.
The Chairman of the Governors’ Forum, Gov. Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara, said the president was not happy with the state of the economy, admoishing them to upp the ante in their respective stats for the economy to boom.
Yari said this was the major discussion they had with Mr. President at this closed-door meeting with the 36 State Governors of the federation in Abuja.
He said: “Mr President, as usual, responded by telling us that the economy is in a bad shape and we have to come together and think and rethink on way forward. “So, Mr President talked to us in the manner that we have a task ahead of us. So, we should tighten our belts and see how we can put Nigerian economy in the right direction and how we can address the nation’s infrastructural decay.
“So, all of us as leaders especially those that are coming to the National Assembly and those coming back as governors and the president who will be re-elected by God grace we should not think that things are going to be easy.
”They are going to be harder than before, this was the message of Mr President,’’ he said. On the meeting of the National Economic Council, the governor disclosed that the Council deliberated extensively on new ways state governments could generate additional revenues for speedy economic growth and development.
