Nigeria’s economy is in a terrible state, Shettima cries out.

Nigeria’s economy is in a terrible state, Shettima cries out.

Olaitan Ogundele

Vice President Kashim Shettima has expressed his concern over the state of Nigeria’s economy, describing it as a “mess” caused by inadequate governance. 

The vice president stated this on Monday when he received in audience members of the committee led by the chairman, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele, at State House, Abuja.

He emphasizes the need for a comprehensive roadmap that considers the current realities in order to revive the economy.

The Vice President told members of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms that the nation awaits their recommendations to swiftly bring the country out of the “big mess” it has found.

During the meeting, Shettima stressed the importance of the committee’s task and expressed his confidence in their ability to construct a robust roadmap that will address the underlying issues within Nigeria’s fiscal and tax policies.

“The task before you is enormous, I believe you have the best brains to come up with a robust roadmap that will reposition our economy addressing some of the fundamental issues underlying our fiscal and tax policies; Fiscal and tax policies are key to the realization of any nation’s economic development.

“I believe you will come up with a roadmap to salvage our nation. We are in a big mess, but I have confidence in your team. This is a great nation chained by poor governance, chained by many challenges and my principal is a man of courage and conviction, he is a progressive man in the Nigerian political space,” Shettima said.

While noting that the world’s largest economies are grappling with economic challenges, the vice president advised Oyedele’s committee to focus on domestic resource solutions to address the nation’s problems.

In response, Zaccheus Adedeji, the Special Adviser to the President on Revenue, expressed the committee’s keen interest in collaborating with the National Economic Council (NEC), which is chaired by the Vice President. The aim of this collaboration is to foster effective engagement with sub-national governments.