Apparently alarmed at the state of the economy, the Federal Government has invited experts to make vital inputs into its Medium Term National Economic Plan.
The experts include Prof. Akpan Ekpo; Prof. Olu Ajakaiye; Prof Joe Umoh; Dr. Obadiah Mailafia; Dr Ayo Teriba; Dr Dotun Sulaiman; Dr Ayo Salami; Mr Boda Agusto; Mr Bismarck Rewane; Mr Frank Nweke; Engr Mansur Ahmed; and Mrs Adepeju Adebajo.
The move, according to findings, is to enable the experts have a say in the budget process, with a view to making it richer and more beneficial to the nation. Vanguard learned that the experts are expected to converge on Abuja for two days, beginning tomorrow, to brainstorm on how to fine-tune the 2017-2019 Medium Term Expenditure Framework, MTEF, being developed by the Ministry of Budget and National Planning and set for publication next month.
Explaining the rationale behind the engagement of the experts, the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, said the outcome of the endeavour, which began with the 2016 Budget and subsequent publication of the SIP, would form the basis for the plan to be made available to the public in December this year. Udoma said: “We came in focusing on the economy, corruption and security.
An economic management team was immediately put in place with the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, in charge. ‘’We worked out a plan and started off with the 2016 budget to reflate the economy; then we moved on to the Strategic Implementation Plan, SIP, of the budget.”
The Minister regretted that the SIP document, which had been widely acclaimed as impressive by economic experts and international fiscal agencies, was not publicly launched with fanfare.
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