Nigeria: Setting Agenda - What Jonathan Must Focus On to Move the Economy Forward

Vanguard

27 May 2011

Nigeria: Setting Agenda - What Jonathan Must Focus On to Move the Economy Forward

Omoh Gabriel

Nigeria's economic potential is well known. The country's considerable resource endowment and coastal location ordinarily should allow the emergence of a strong growth pole for sub-Saharan Africa.

Over the years, Nigeria has realised very little of this potential. Instead, its history has been marked by economic stagnation and associated with declining welfare and social instability.

Over the last few years, however, policy makers have said that Nigeria has been experiencing a growth turn-around and conditions seem right for launching onto a path of sustained and rapid growth. President Goodluck Jonathan seems anxious to seize this opportunity to begin to build a diversified economy able to provide jobs and improved welfare for Nigerians. Although the economy was said to be growing, it has not been translated into putting food on the table of many Nigerians. It was a growth without development.

Jonathan's transformation agenda: Concerned by this development after the election and its politicking around the place, the President at a meeting with the organised private sector, May 23, unveiled his transformation agenda for the economy, saying he will be at the driving seat of the implementation as the chairman of the National Economic team. Yes, it is time for Mr. President to think economy, speak economy, dream economy and act on the economy.