On Thursday, the Nigerian Economic Society (NES) urged policymakers in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s led federal government to collaborate more with it to find workable economic reforms to address the plethora of economic crises currently bedevilling the nation’s economy.
NES specifically mentioned the continuous fall in the value of the nation’s currency in the International market. NES mainly blamed the continued economic turbulence on the federal government’s preference for listening to foreign experts’ advice when making economic decisions and reforms rather than relying on the recommendations of local financial experts.
The NES President, Professor Adeola Adenikinju, stated this while fielding questions from journalists in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital, shortly after inaugurating the state chapter of the society, which was held at the Post-graduates auditorium of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB).
Adenikinju, who bemoaned the communication gap between the society and governments’ economic policymakers, said there has to be more collaboration and consultation between NES and governments at all levels, emphasising that the society remained committed to promoting dialogue and policy recommendations that would help shape Nigeria’s sustainable, inclusive and prosperous economic future.
“We are the vanguard of economic discourse and advocates of evidence-based policymaking.
We have done our research on Nigeria’s economy, and we understand the system better than any other foreigner. Therefore, when decisions are being made about economic reforms, how to address reforms, and how to tackle the effects of intending reforms, Nigerian Economists should be called upon”.
Speaking further at the event that saw Professor Comfort Amire emerge as the State Chairperson of the society alongside Dr Oluwasogo Adeniran as the State Secretary, Adenikinju charged the seven executive members in Ogun to focus on analysing the economic situation within their state to identify lasting solutions that would revitalise the state’s economy and that of Nigeria at large.
“This chapter will be a hub for economists, policymakers and stakeholders to collaborate and contribute to the state’s economic development.”
Earlier in his remark, FUNAAB’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Olusola Kehinde, urged NES to be at the vanguard of enlightened Nigerians on the current economic realities and why they should support the government in achieving its aims.
Earlier in her welcome address, the State Chairperson, Prof Amire, said the inauguration marks a significant milestone in the Society’s efforts to “ promote economic knowledge, foster sustainable growth, and enhance development across Ogun state and Nigeria as a whole.”
