Buhari includes opposition parties in 2050 agenda committee

Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja 

President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, named major political parties as part of  the National Steering Committee inaugurated to oversee the development of the Nigeria Agenda 2050 and Medium-Term National Development Plan (MTNDP) to succeed Vision 20:2020 and the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) 2017-2020.

President Buhari said the composition of the committee is to ensure a truly consultative, participatory and inclusive planning process.

Other members of the committee are representatives of one governor from each of the six geopolitical zones, the Senate and House of Representatives, ministers and representatives of key agencies.

Other members are ALGON, captains of industries, labour organisations, youth organisations and women’s societies,   farmers’ associations, traditional and religious leaders, people with special needs and members of the press.

The committee will be jointly chaired by Mr. Atedo Peterside (representing the private sector) and Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, minister of finance, budget and national planning.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, in a statement quoted Buhari as saying: “The main objectives of these Successor Plans are to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty within the next 10 years, particularly given the World Bank’s projection that Nigeria will become the world’s third most populous country by 2050 with over 400 million people.’’

The president noted that it had become necessary to develop Successor Plans to the Nigeria Vision 20:2020 and the ERGP, which both lapse in December this year, in order to ensure continuity and efficiency in the country’s development planning.

On the mandate of the National Steering Committee, President Buhari said it would oversee governance structure comprising the Central Working Group and 26 Technical Working Groups for the important national assignment.

“It is my expectation that the Steering Committee will oversee the execution of key deliverables, including recommending measures to ensure the continuous implementation of the Plans even after the expiration of the tenure of successive Administrations – including legislation, if required.

“Such legislation may introduce much-needed rigour and discipline to the nation’s development planning as well as institutionalise planned outcomes for the future. I trust that our partners in the National Assembly will support us in exploring these reforms,”  he said.

President Buhari urged the National Steering Committee not to lose sight of the important role Nigeria plays on the continent as well as in the global community.

He said the Successor Plans must, therefore, be designed to sustain national development, as well as support regional and global strategic interests, as outlined in the African Union Agenda 2063, the ECOWAS Integration Agenda 2050 and the Sustainable Development Goals 2030.

Underscoring the importance of national development planning, the President said if carefully conceived and diligently implemented, it can transform the economic fortunes of a nation.

‘’The Chinese experience is an example. It has resulted in lifting over 700 million people out of poverty over the last four decades.

‘’Indeed, China’s track record of positive economic growth, since 1992, was only halted in the first quarter of 2020, due to onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic. COVID-19 presents the world – and Nigeria – with a crisis as well as an opportunity. The current global health and economic crises give us an opportunity to think afresh and chart an optimal path forward.”

The president recalled that in February 2017 when he launched the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan, its objectives included, restoring and sustaining growth, investing in people and building a globally competitive economy.

On the other hand, he said Nigeria’s Vision 20:2020 was an articulation of the long-term intent to launch Nigeria onto a path of sustained socio-economic development.

Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Dr Ahmed, noted that lately, various zones of the country have been pursuing different economic cooperation within their areas.

She, therefore, urged that the new plans consider the comparative advantages available in these regional blocs to build a virile Nigeria.

Co-chair Mr Peterside pledged to work as a team and commended the president for making the Committee very inclusive.

According to him, the composition of the committee has passed the test with the inclusion of major political parties, governors among others.

Peterside said in the past these groups were not brought in, hence they discredited every efforts of government.

“We will learn from past mistakes. Although these are difficult times, it is also the best time to get people together to think about the future.”