The incoming administration has been urged to pay attention to building an enabling environment for the private sector to thrive.
Ifueko Omoigui-Okauru, former chairman Federal Inland Revenue Service said this while welcoming participants at a dinner for Students and Faculty of the Harvard Kennedy School in Lagos.
She said that there is an urgent need for the federal government to focus on growing the economy, providing jobs and ensuring that whatever is done translates to a positive impact on the people.
She added that the government can be a huge enabler for economic growth and development.
Omoigui-Okauru, who spoke in Lagos at the welcome dinner for Students and Faculty of the Harvard Kennedy School who is on the Africa Policy Trek to Lagos, said that the economy is at the heart of propelling a better quality of life for every Nigerian.
She appealed to the incoming government to pick one or two projects that will make a difference in the lives of millions of Nigerians.
” For God’s sake, think of the people, not the numbers, think about fairness, think about doing things not just for yourself. That our country is not where it should be done does not mean that it is where we want it to be,” she said.
The welcome dinner was put together by the Harvard Kennedy School Alumni Association (HKSAAN), which hosted over 60 people from different countries.
Omoigui-Okauru also wants the incoming administration to think in a very proactive way and energize the talents in Nigeria.
She said, “I am a Nigerian and I am proud to be a Nigerian any day. We are talents anywhere we find ourselves. Whatever we do must translate to a higher level of disposable income for everyone and a decent life. We appeal that the government should give hope to the people.
” Unfortunately, this election has further dividend us and it is important that we calibrate because a divided country cannot achieve as much as it could when coming together.”
Speaking on the Africa Policy Trek, the former FIRS boss noted that the Havard Kennedy School is a public policy government intervention that is helping to build and influence public policy, drive government in a manner that would position countries at a much higher level.
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Omoigui-Okauru who is also an alumnus of the school said, “the association is delighted to have over sixty-four people from different countries at a time when embassies have told their people to leave Nigeria. This shows their interest and we are thankful.
“We also want to showcase that even though we have our security issues, we are just like every other country. We have great skills, and a diverse group of people, we have resources and the passion to want our country to be better.
” We want to show them the real Nigeria, we want to celebrate Nigeria, not in an exaggerated manner. The best people to involve in public policy are those who have experienced it,” she said.
Also speaking, Adaora Ugwu, the president of the Harvard Kennedy School Alumni Association of Nigeria, said that the sixty-four students and faculty of the Harvard Kennedy School came to Nigeria on an Africa Policy Trek.
She maintained that the students came to find out about the country, and understand governance, Policy and culture.
According to her, it is an opportunity to showcase Nigeria at a very critical time in the history of the country.
“As a Policy school, they thought it was an opportunity to come and experience on the ground issues that concern Nigeria around the economy, politics and social lives,” Ugwu said.
