Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has said that Nigeria’s present economic challenges are indeed surmountable with adequate planning and effective implementation.
Governor Sule made the assertion while playing host to the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Dr. Vitalis Obi who led members of the Joint Planning Board (JPB) National Council on Development Planning on a courtesy visit at the Government House on Wednesday.
The Governor expressed optimism that Nigeria can overcome its current economic challenges through strategic planning and effective implementation.
While underscoring the need for collaborative efforts to address the country’s economic challenges, he stressed that by leveraging the country’s natural resources, implementing effective plans, Nigeria can overcome its current difficulties and achieve economic prosperity.
Governor Sule posited that with Nigeria blessed with abundant natural and mineral resources, almost that is required is for the country to have good leadership and effective planning in order to surmount the prevailing economic challenges.
“Nigeria is indeed, faced with several challenges at the moment but so is also Nigeria being faced with so many prospects at the moment. Once we are able to look at our prospects and put things in the right order, I strongly believe that Nigeria will come out of its current challenges,” he stated.
Sharing his experiences from recent visits to China and the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Governor Sule highlighted the global interest in Nigeria’s mineral resources, particularly lithium.
He noted that every state in Nigeria has mineral deposits, including Lagos State known for its potential for deep offshore oil discovery.
“I had the opportunity through the support of Mr. President to visit China just a little over a month ago. I saw how Nigerian minerals and other opportunities in Nigeria are sought very badly. I just came back from UNGA. I was telling the Deputy Governor that I went there with some of my colleagues. But every time they say that is the Governor of Nasarawa State, everyone wants to take pictures with me. That is the state that has lithium,” he said.
The Governor recounted his initial interest in oil discovery in Nasarawa State in 2011, even before he came into power and his subsequent efforts which led to the drilling of the first oil well in Obi Local Government Area but have now been overshadowed by the discovery of large swaths of lithium deposits.
“As I was coming down from the UNGA, we had the opportunity to sit down with Malam Mele Kyari and discuss further about the drilling campaign in Keana. But as I was pursuing the drilling operations, and most likely the appraisal well that would be drilled, then we discovered a material called lithium. Now, I have abandoned oil and gone back to lithium. Because in China, nobody talked to me about oil. In the US, nobody was talking to me about oil,” he added.
He emphasized the significance of planning, stating that without it, the country would be planning for failure.
“What else do we need to do it right? We need good planning and good leadership, and then we can get there. We are not lacking in ideas but most of the time, we are lacking in the implementation of those ideas,” Governor Sule said.
He urged participants at the meeting to not only come out with ideas and techniques for their implementation but to also assign specific responsibilities to people in order for the country to move forward.
“I urge you as you are putting things together to come out with the ideas tomorrow, please assist in also coming out with the techniques for the implementation of those ideas. And who should be able to implement those ideas. We should assign responsibility for people to be able to do that,” he said.
Governor Sule expressed satisfaction that his administration took up the challenge from the National Economic Council (NEC) on agriculture, commending President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for identifying the state as one of the five states to have properly taken over in his independence speech.
He commended the organizers of the conference for choosing Nasarawa State to host the 23rd edition of the meeting, describing the theme, “Nigerian Economy: Examining the Challenges, Options, and Opportunities” as not only apt but timely.
Earlier, in his introductory remarks, leader of the delegation and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Dr. Vitalis Obi identified planning as critical factor in accelerating Nigeria’s economic growth.
Obi said participants at the 23rd edition of the Joint Planning Board (JPB) and National Council on Development Planning (NCDP) meeting holding in Lafia, are looking at coming out with recommendations and proffering solutions, as well as implementation strategies that will help the nation surmounts and overcome the challenges of development planning.
He highlighted the line of activities during the meeting, commending Governor Sule for accepting to host the conference.
“We looked at seven papers covering all that we were strategically set out to do. We had technical and plenary sessions yesterday. Today, we will be delving into much more technical, strategic, and topical issues. Tomorrow we will be having the council meeting on development planning at the end of which we will be coming out with our communique which will be rich with the combination of implementation strategies which will be very germane for us to present in the National Economic Council for consideration as an advisory body to the Federal Government,” he said.
