Why Nigerians are suffering – Buhari
President Buhari and the Unilever Nigeria Plc team on Monday.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday said Nigeria is paying dearly
for incompetence in managing huge revenue that accrued from oil,
particularly over the past decade, and for allowing the decay of
critical infrastructure.
He spoke while receiving the Chief Global CEO of Unilever, Mr. Paul Polman, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The President, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media
and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said his administration is working very
hard to change the structure of the Nigerian economy battered by several
years of mismanagement.
He said: ”We refused to save for the rainy day. Now the rain is
beating us. No money, no savings, nothing. And we are thoroughly wet
from the rains.”
He said Nigeria was paying the price for turning herself into a mono
economy, but assured that the country would soon be able to feed
herself, and even export, with the current emphasis placed on
agriculture.
Buhari assured that the Federal Government
would fast-track the implementation of strategies to ease doing
business and attract more investors into Nigeria.
The President added: “We want to create jobs, and supporting
manufacturing is one way to do it. As soon as we have stabilized our
budget, I would personally be interested in the manufacturing sector,
particularly in the generation of essential raw materials.”
The Chief Global CEO of Unilever said the conglomerate had been in
Nigeria for 93 years, making it the oldest manufacturing concern in the
country.
He said: “Our products are more Nigerian than other Nigerian brands.
Despite the economic downturn, there are opportunities to further
advance our business here.
“The situation to invest and continue to invest here is very
encouraging. Unilever had invested about N15 billion in Nigeria in the
past three years.”
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