…We ‘ll explore diaspora remittances, AFCFTA to grow economy – Ojukwu, Oduwole
President Bola Tinubu has urged the newly appointed ministers to join his team in rescuing Nigeria from its current challenges.
Tinubu gave the charge after swearing in seven ministers in Abuja, following their swift review by the National Assembly.
The president emphasised the importance of service, stating, “Service is the hallmark of this human endeavour; you are being called upon to serve.”
Read also: Tinubu bows to pressure, orders release of minors
Tinubu expressed optimism about the country’s economic recovery, saying, “Economic recovery is on the horizon. We have a good path to realise our dreams and it is not just only for us, it is for our children and grandchildren.”
He acknowledged the challenges Nigerians face, including a high cost of living, but highlighted progress in paying the new minimum wage and reducing debt servicing from 97 percent to 65 percent of revenue.
The ministers sworn in include Nentawe Yilwatda, minister of humanitarian affairs and poverty reduction; Muhammadu Dingyadi, minister of labour & employment, and Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, minister of state for foreign affairs.
Others are Jumoke Oduwole, minister of industry, trade, and investment; Idi Mukhtar Maiha, minister of livestock development; Yusuf Ata, minister of state for housing and urban development, and Suwaiba Ahmad, minister of state for education.
Tinubu thanked the National Assembly for their efficient review and approval of the new ministers.
Speaking after the swearing-in, Odumegwu-Ojukwu, said her ministry would leverage the over $22 billion Diaspora remittances and the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreements (AFCFTA), to strengthen Nigeria’s economy
Odumegwu-Ojukwu, who fielded questions from State House journalists, also promised to ride on the advantage of the creative potential and huge capital skills of the Nigerian youth population both within and across the globe, to boost employment
The minister assured that her office would ensure that consular services abroad are much more effective, in eliminating difficulties encountered by Nigerians outside the country
“We intend in this administration to leverage on the creative potentials, on the skills on the huge capital that these young people have to bring to the country, and of course, the diaspora, and reaffirmed her commitment to aligning with the government’s foreign policy objectives.
“The president has made things easier by establishing a clear foreign policy direction,” she said.
On her part, Jumoke Oduwole stressed the need to boost the AfCFTA for Nigerian businesses and ensure that both domestic and foreign investments are retained.
Read also: Beyond the economy, arrogance of power fuels Tinubu’s unpopularity
“The most important thing with the trade agreement is to make sure that we go after optimising the AfCFTA for Nigerian businesses, which means pragmatically supporting them at this time to export their products we need productive jobs that deliver value for Nigerians,” she emphasised.
She also highlighted the importance of aligning trade agendas with monetary and fiscal policies. “This is significant and imperative; we will prioritize these in the short term,” she concluded.
“It’s really important that we retain domestic investment and aggressively attract new investment.
“That means tracking all the investments that Mr. President has gone after in the last 17 months and making sure that the businesses we have already started engaging with, our peerless business champions, the businesses at the higher level and the medium level and at the micro level, that each of them at those specific cadres are optimised to make it progressively easier”, said Oduwole.
Join BusinessDay whatsapp Channel, to stay up to date
Open In Whatsapp
