TheCable

Atiku Abubakar, di former Nigerian vice-president, claim sey na im bin di lead di economic management team di time wey Olusegun Obasanjo bi president.

Di presidential candidate of di Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) make di claim for di presidential yarn on di economy, wey di National Economic Summit Group (NESG) for Lagos organise.

“As di oga of di economic management team, dat time wey I bi vice president, I folo make sure sey dem design plan wey go make di private sector tanda wella, and I chook mouth for mata wey make sure sey private sector go see road invest for plenti oda sectors. No bi small progress we bin make,” na so Atiku tok.

“E sure me sey you still remember di time wey kontri bin good, wey economy grow wella and di exchange rate bin get beta interest, inflation bin dey low, pipu bin get work, and dem bin no too poor.

“Remain small wey we for comot all di gbese wey bin dey scata di kontri.”

As head of the economic management team while I was Vice President, I was instrumental in designing a private sector revival strategy and advocated for the opening of the economy for private sector investments in several sectors. And we made tremendous progress. #AtikuAtNESG

— Atiku Abubakar (@atiku) January 16, 2023

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Obasanjo bin sidan as Nigeria presido from 1999 to 2007.

But na true sey na Atiku dem bin give oga of di economic management team?

WETIN WE CHECK

TheCable check see sey na Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former minister of finance and now di director-general of di World Trade Organisation (WTO), bin dey lead Obasanjo economic management team.

Obasanjo bin organise di economic management team for 2003 di time wey im second term bin dey start.

One report on Nigeria debt reform, wey comot for di Centre for Africa-Europe relations tok sey: “Di time wey dem re-elect President Obasanjo in 2003, im bin appoint new economic management team wey former World Bank director Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala bi di director. Dis team bin make sure sey dem change plenti policy”.

For one report wey Okonjo-Iweala bin dey tok about her experience for economic change, she gree sey in 2003, afta Obasanjo bin give her permit make she organise presidential economic team, di former president come decide bi di main oga, while she go dey lead.

Di team, wey bin get 12 members wey bi expert for macroeconomics, microeconomics, debt management, privatisation, private-sector development, governance, anti-corruption measure, civil-service reform, and budget management, bin di make sure sey dem create and implement economic change under di Obasanjo administration.

Di pipu wey bin dey inside di 12-person team na Chukwuma Soludo, di former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) govnor; Nuhu Ribadu, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) chairman; Nasir el-Rufai, former minister of di federal capital territory (FCT); Oby Ezekwesili, former minister of education; Bode Agusto, director-general, Budget Office; Ifueko Omoigui, former chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), and oda pipu.

As di oga of di economic management team and finance minister, Okonjo-Iweala bin lead di negotiations make Nigeria for comot for debt.

After di negotiations, Nigeria and di Paris Club announce one final agreement for debt relief of $18 billion, afta Nigeria pay $12 billion.

ECONOMIC MANAGEMENT TEAM AND NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL NA DI SAME TIN?

No. Notin join di two of dem.

For di time wey im bi VP, Atiku bin dey lead di National Economic Council (NEC).

Im life tori for di Yar’adua Foundation’s website tok sey: “As Vice President, im (Atiku) bi oga for di National Economic Council wey bin make sure sey dem gada sabi pipu wey transform di Nigerian economy, di GDP bin multiply pass four times between 2000 – 2007.”

NEC bin dey established by di provisions of di 1999 constitution of di federal republic of Nigeria, di new one, for section 153(1) and paragraph 18 & 19 of part I of di third schedule.

According to di constitution, NEC get power to “advise di president for any economic mata of di kontri, especially for any plan wey go make economic planning smooth or any economic programme for di different govment of di kontri.”

Di pipu wey bin dey di NEC include di VP wey bi di oga, di 36 state govnors, di CBN govnor, and oda govment officials wey dem bin folo add.

Di current national economic council oga na Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and dem dey do meeting once evri month.

FINAL TOK

Atiku claim wey tok sey na im bin di oga of di economic management team no correct. Na Obasanjo bin di main oga while Okonjo-Iweala bi di lead di team.

E fit bi sey di PDP presidential candidate confused di NEC wit di economic management team.