Timothy Choji, Abuja
Vice President Kashim Shettima says President Bola Tinubu remains committed to diversifying the Nigerian economy, describing him as a leader with the political will to take bold decisions.
The Vice President was speaking on the efforts of President Tinubu to diversify the nation’s economy on Thursday at the Presidential Villa.
VP Shettima cited the President’s recent trip to Brazil which resulted in the signing of five Memoranda of Understanding covering aviation, foreign affairs, science and technology, and agriculture, saying these were deliberate and intentional steps by the President in diversifying the nation’s economy.
The Vice President stated this when he received a delegation from the Nigerian Economic Society (NES) led by its President, Prof. Adeola Adenikinju, on a courtesy visit.
“In President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, you have an ally, a friend who grew up in the same ecosystem as you, who speaks your language of business and commerce, who understands the economic terrain, and most importantly, who has the political courage,” the VP noted.
He observed that while the world is now in a knowledge-driven post-industrial age, the current government and relevant stakeholders are “in a unique position” to turn Nigeria’s potential into “demographic dividends.
The Vice President stressed that Nigeria is also in a unique position to fill global talent gaps for many reasons, including “our youthful population.”
Referencing top African unicorns domiciled in Nigeria, VP Shettima said Nigerians have the intellectual know-how, capacity, and versatility to economically reposition the country by leveraging President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Describing the NES as one of the oldest organizations in Nigeria’s economic ecosystem, Shettima solicited the society’s support for the actualization of the Renewed Hope Agenda.
He urged the body to come up with more robust solutions to Nigeria’s challenges, assuring them that the President Tinubu administration is open to their input and “perspectives on diversifying the nation’s economy.”
Speaking earlier, the President of NES, Prof. Adenikinju, applauded the economic reforms of the administration of President Tinubu, describing it as bold, profound and yielding results.
He pledged the NES’s firm support for the Tinubu administration’s efforts and policies and offered to serve, if integrated, in the Federal Government’s economic management team as well as relevant committees and bodies saddled with development and economic planning responsibilities.
He also announced plans to confer the society’s highest award, ‘Fellow of the Nigerian Economic Society (FNES)’ on Vice President Shettima at its forthcoming national conference on September 9 in Abuja.
Hauwa Abu