FG making tremendous progress to reposition the nation's economy says Agba

Prince Clem Ikanade Agba, Mrs. Elizabeth Egharevba and Kikuta Yutaka during a meeting in Abuja — Right, Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Ikanade Agba, assisted by the Director of International Cooperation in the ministry, Mrs. Elizabeth Egharevba, presents a gift to the Japanese Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Nigeria, Kikuta Yutaka, during a courtesy visit to the minister in furtherance of Japan-Nigeria Development/Business facilitation, in Abuja on Monday.

EHIME ALEX, Lagos

The Minister of State, Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Ikanade Agba said Monday that the Federal Government had made tremendous progress in her effort to reposition the economy of the country.

Prince Agba said while receiving Japanese Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Nigeria, Yutaka Kikuta in his office.

In a statement by Sufuyan Ojeifo, his media aide, , Prince Agba said the most recent was the return of the budget cycle from January – December.

“We want to sustain what happened last year in terms of early budget passage; we will continue to work with the National Assembly to repeat the feat. If we fail to repeat it, it means that what happened was just a chance or a fluke but if we do it means that we have a process and a plan that we intend to build on” the Minister further explained.

The Minister also said that the return of the Budget cycle to January was deliberate and in line with the current administration’ economic recovery plan, which is culminating in the development of another National Development Plan, intended to succeed the ERGP.

Prince Clem Ikanade Agba and Kikuta Yutaka during a meeting in Abuja — Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Ikanade Agba and Japanese Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Nigeria, Kikuta Yutaka, during a courtesy visit to the minister in furtherance of Japan-Nigeria Development/Business facilitation, in Abuja on Monday.

According to Prince Agba, “the National Development Plan will be a 10-year plan for Nigerians. It will be broken down into two 5-year medium term plans, from which the annual budgets would be drawn.”

He expressed Government’s readiness to make the process of the National development plan very inclusive.

Prince Clem Agba commended the Government of Japan for the development assistance and the cordial relationship that has existed between the two countries in the past 60 years and promised to do everything in his power to ensure that the plans are actualised.

Earlier, the Japanese Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Nigeria, Yutaka Kikuta commended the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration on its economic policies and priorities, saying the administration was on the right track to economic recovery and sustainability.

The Ambassador said he was in the Ministry to discuss ways of crystallizing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s promise of assisting to strengthen the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) with a grant of 2billion Japenese Yen, as well as support to the National Defence College.

“We support President Buhari’s second term because we deeply believe in his priority areas and we feel the Federal Government is on the right track”. Yutaka Said.