Ugwuanyi sets up economic advisory committee

…Ekweremadu, Nnaji, Chioke on the list

Governor Ifeanyi Ug- wuanyi of Enugu State has constituted a 15- man Economic Advi- sory Committee to guide the new administration in making proper economic decisions.

The governor said the idea of setting up the committee was for the team to advise and guide the state on the best economic policies that would sustain the state economic growth in the face of the present dwindling revenue from the nation’s Fed- eration Account as a result of the fall in oil prices.

The list of the 15-members of the Committee has Obiora Ike, the vicar-general of the Cath- olic Diocese of Enugu, as the chairman.

On the list also are Barth Nnaji, a former minister of power; Innocent Chukwuma, chairman Innoson Group of Companies; Ike Ekweremadu, deputy Senate president; Ostia Ogbu, former Economic adviser to the president and current director of the Institute of Devel- opment Studies at the University of Nigeria, and Chilo Offiah.

Others include Fidelia Njeze, a former Aviation minister; Loretta Aniagolu, a successful investor and civil society activist; Chikelu Mba, Kelvin Emeka Onah, Emeka Odo, Ngozi Nnaedozie, John Okoye and Ikechukwu Chioke.

Ugwuanyi explained that bringing these experts together as economic advisor of the ad- ministration would effectively change economic status of the state by thinking of new ideas on economic issues and giving good advice to government.

According to a release by Uwakwe Abugu, chief press secretary to the governor, the functions of the economic ex- perts would revolve around three key objectives, namely- to promote balanced and sustain- able economic growth, to pro- mote and engender adequate employment for the people of Enugu State and to promote a system of fair income distribu- tion among the various income groups in the state.

According to the statement, membership of the committee cuts across states other than Enu- gu to ensure that nothing was left undone in the current efforts to shore up the revenue base of the state in view of his burning desire to fulfill his campaign promises to the people of the state.

“Enugu State Government has come to the conclusion that the advisory committee will assist us in investments promotion, mo- bilisation of funds, increased in- ternally generated revenue (IGR) and establishment of industries,” the statement disclosed.

“It is our own economic sur- vival strategy and we also intend to use the platform to encourage and re-engineer effective public- private partnership,” it added

REGIS ANUKWUOJI, Enugu