Retired Major General Muhammadu Buhari, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, on Monday reassured members of the organised private sector of sustained partnership in revamping the nation’s economy, if elected.
Buhari gave the assurance during a business dialogue with some members of the OPS in Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the business interaction was to provide the OPS the opportunity to digest Buhari’s economic blueprint and APC’s manifesto.
Buhari said that APC’s commitment to inclusive sustainable development made it imperative for him and his policy team to listen to members of the organised private sector.
According to him, the intention is to create a platform for the OPS to regularly contribute to his government’s economic policies on practical implementation of growth and employment driven policies.
The presidential candidate urged members of the OPS to join hands with the APC towards formulating an economic blueprint that would focus on the creation of employment for the nation’s teaming youths.
He said the APC government would focus more on employment creation, stable electricity and road infrastructure to boost business and commerce, if elected into office.
According to Buhari, his administration plans to use massive investment in road construction to provide employment for unskilled and semi-skilled Nigerians nationwide.
He said: “Construction of roads, we anticipate, will create a value chain of opportunities in the various sectors of the economy.
“Opening up of Nigeria through new roads, we hope, will revive road transportation and other businesses.”
On oil and gas, Buhari said the ongoing power sector reform would be expanded to accommodate the critical issues of generation, transmission and due process.
He said that empirical analysis of the nation’s power sector showed that 200,000 skilled personnel would be used to provide the energy needs of the nation.
Buhari said continuity of government programmes would be based on thorough evaluation of such policies and its impact on the larger segment of Nigerians.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, Foluso Phillips, said the group was initially apprehensive that most of the lofty national economic policies might be jettisoned by a new administration.
Phillips said the NESG seriously canvassed the need for continuity in government programmes that would leverage on the economic dividends of democracy.
Phillips, who is also the Chief Executive of Phillps Consulting, commended the APC presidential candidate for interacting with the OPS in seeking inclusive development ideas.
Earlier, the APC Director of Policy Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, in a welcome address said the business dialogue was part of the party’s effort to meet the sectors’ of the economy.
Fayemi said the meeting was designed to expose members of the OPS to the APC economic blue print and to create opportunity for the party to listen to moderators of the nation’s economy.
In his closing remarks, Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State commended members of the organised private sector for attending the business dialogue, stressing that it was a well-thought out programme to show that APC means business.
NAN reports that the dialogue was attended by numerous stakeholders from financial industry to agriculture, aviation, transport and small scale businesses, among others.
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