Nigerian Citizens' Views Key To Public Policy On Subsidy, Says World Bank VP

Nigeria Village Square

(Empowered Newswire)

11 January 2012

Nigerian Citizens' Views Key To Public Policy On Subsidy, Says World Bank VP

As US based Nigerians opened their protest rallies yesterday morning in Washington DC against the removal of fuel subsidy and general corruption in Nigeria, the World Bank has said the institution respects the views of Nigerian citizens in the development process of the country, including the determination of a fuel subsidy policy, Empowered Newswire reports. 

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while speaking with Empowered Newswire the Vice President of the World Bank, Africa Region, Mrs Oby Ezekwesili said  the bank "welcomes the debate of every economic policy, they are key to having a buoyant and legitimate public policy in a country." Ezekwesili who is currently on vacation said the Africa Region of the World Bank are aware that the protesters plan to protest in front of the bank's building in Nigeria, adding that an official of the bank was set to receive the protesters and in turn convey the views of the bank to the US-based Nigerians as well. According to the former Nigerian federal minister, "government alone cannot be the agent of public policy, it needs the citizens."

She said as partners with Nigeria, the World Bank's interest is "to support whatever the government and the citizens in Nigeria agree to." "This is the new focus of the new World Bank," she added saying the perception of the World Bank of the past is in the past and that the global body wants to support both the people and the government, not to impose its own knowledge, but to facilitate, through its financing and other tools, whatever policy both government and its citizens agree to do.