President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed optimism that the current economic recession will ebb in 2017.
President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed optimism that the current economic recession will ebb in 2017.
Speaking
on Monday in Abuja while declaring open an induction course organised
by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Nigerian Career
Ambassadors-designate who were recently cleared by the Senate, President
Buhari said:
“We are optimistic that the external factors that
partly contributed to push our economy into recession will ebb in 2017.
Until then, I regret that the resources available to fund our missions
abroad will not be as robust as we would like.
“We are working hard
to turn around our national economy by effectively reforming our
macroeconomic environment through measures, some of which were outlined
in my budget speech to the National Assembly last week.”
The
President, who said the prevailing economic circumstances have led to a
restructuring of Nigerian missions abroad, reminded the
Ambassadors-designate that , “as we are all making great sacrifices at
home, we also expect you to similarly make judicious use of the
resources put at the disposal of your missions. As Heads of missions,
you will be held accountable for the utilisation of all resources under
your control. These are lean times, and all of us are expected to do
more with less.”
President Buhari specifically charged the
Ambassadors-designate to change the narrative of Nigeria outside the
country by playing up the positive values and outstanding contributions
of Nigerians in the global arena.
“I want to emphasise your duty to
change the narrative of Nigeria as seen by the outside world. For far
too long, we have allowed Nigeria to be defined by others, always
emphasizing our negatives. To the average foreigner, Nigeria evokes 419,
terrorism, militancy, communal and religious clashes, insecurity,
corruption and all our other faults,” he said.
The President
continued: “You have the duty to correct this narrative by taking the
initiative to define and portray our country for what it truly is. We
are a nation of 180 million vibrant, enterprising, hardworking,
hospitable and peaceful people. We are a remarkable nation that has
succeeded in harnessing our multiple diversities as strengths such that
we are the leading country on the continent. Therefore, you will need to
mobilise, sensitise and motivate all your staff so that together you
engage with your host governments, the private sector and other segments
of the society to explain that Nigeria is much more than the negative
image portrayed to them.”
President Buhari also enjoined them to
leverage on the achievements of Nigerians within the country and in
diaspora: Think of people like Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka, Chinedu
Echeruo who founded Hotspot application which he sold to Apple for over a
billion Dollars; think of Bayo Ogunlesi, who runs over a billion Dollar
Infrastructure Fund and is now Adviser to US President-elect; and
Jelani Aliyu, an accomplished car designer at General Motors. Indeed,
these and other hardworking Nigerian professionals in the diaspora have
never forgotten their roots and have been making significant
contributions to their communities back home, and even to our economy
through their huge remittances.”
He urged them to sustain the work
ethic characterized by the love of country, professionalism, excellence,
integrity and honour associated with the “Nigerian diplomatic tradition
established in 1957 by the pioneers of the Nigerian Foreign Service,
sometimes referred to as the “Twelve Apostles” and also “bequeath same
to succeeding generations. ”
President Buhari also charged the
Ambassadors-designate to stress Nigeria’s commitment to international
peace and security through contributions “to nearly every UN
peacekeeping initiative since 1960 when we achieved our independence. In
addition, we are the stabilizers and shock absorbers of West Africa
having helped to contain potentially de-stabilizing developments in the
sub-region.”
He urged the Ambassadors–designate always to be mindful
of the national priorities that “revolve around the economy, security,
anti-corruption, good governance, agricultural transformation and
infrastructural development, including rail, roads and power” and use
their roles “as Principal Representatives to build meaningful
partnerships to attract foreign investments, new skills and
technologies.”
President Buhari stressed that “as Nigerian
Ambassadors, you must set the standard of putting Nigeria first in all
your actions. You must show leadership, fairness and justice to all.
Discipline, probity, accountability and zero tolerance for corruption
must be your watchwords. You are expected to project the best image and
traditions of our country in your conduct and all you do.”
Read More: http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/218432-recession-will-end-2017-buhari.html
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