Nigeria’s economy is bad ― Buhari

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has told state governors that the Nigerian economy is in bad shape, noting that citizens need to brace up for more tough times ahead.

The chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara state, disclosed this to State House Correspondents after a meeting of the 36 state governors with the president in the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Friday.

The meeting followed an extended session of the National Economic Council (NEC) presided over by its chairman, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

Yari said after thanking the governors for the meeting, Buhari told the governors that “the economy is in bad shape and that we have to come together, think and rethink on the way forward.”

The governors’ meeting with the president was pursuant to the decision of the NGF which had on Thursday night resolved to meet with Buhari over the ongoing negotiation of the new national minimum wage.

The states had offered to pay N22,500 while the federal government wan to pay N24,000 against the N30,000 being demanded by the organised labour.

The tripartite committee comprising of government, labour and the private sector, headed by former Head of Service of the Federation, Amal Pepple,  had recommended the payment of N30,000 as minimum wage.

Yari added that the president ”talked to us in a manner that we have a task ahead of us, we should tighten our belt and see how we can put the Nigerian economy in the right direction.”

According to him, President Buhari expressed dismay that previous administrations under the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) allowed decay in the nation’s infrastructure despite huge petrol revenue.

Yari said: “He (Buhari) wondered about what happened in the past; that for the 16 years of the now opposition party, the PDP in power and with oil at 2.1 barrels per day at an average of $100, many infrastructures are in bad shape.”

The NGF chairman said Buhari told the governors that the PDP’s failure to provide infrastructure will be the focus of his campaign message despite having promised not to complain again about the past.

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”He is going to open a vigorous campaign and these are key issues that he is going to raise with Nigerians so that they can weigh their choices,” Yari volunteered.

The NGF boss also said President Buhari expressed optimism that all of them seeking re-election whether at the level of governors or the National Assembly, will be re-elected, adding, however, that ”it is not going to be easy, it will be harder than before.”

Yari said the governors expressed appreciation to the president for coming to the aid of states to enable them to pay arrears of workers salaries by paying them the Paris and London clubs refunds.

According to him, without the intervention, ”as governors, we, therefore, appreciate what Mr President has done. Without the President, with our mindset and thinking, it will be very difficult for us to govern, that’s the truth”.

He pointed out that President Buhari authorised bailout funds without recourse to party differences.

Yari further added: “When Mr President came on board, 27 states out of 36 could not pay salaries, some for 13, 12, 8, 5 months respectively. Our first encounter with him, he told us that we have no business of being in power if we cannot do the basic, that is pay workers.

“So he asked that we discuss how we can support those states that cannot pay salaries so that workers will be paid.

“Those in the position then came up with the idea of bailing out the states so that they can pay the arrears. But paying the arrears was not enough because the performance of the economy at that time could not sustain the current salaries. That was how he paid the London Paris Club in batches until we exited last month. The payment of London Paris Club has been lingering for the past 12 years.

“So, we came here today to thank Mr President because in bailing out states he did not discriminate along party lines unlike in those days when you can only get an audience with Mr President if you have long leg before the issue will be raised with Minister of Finance.

“He knew that Nigerians were going to be beneficiaries of the bailout not governors. We believe without this mindset, it would have been difficult for us to govern.”