Draft Utomi, Soludo into economic team, Fasehun tells Buhari

The National Chairman of the Unity Party of Nigeria, Dr. Frederick Fasehun, has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to constitute an economic team made up of a  former Secretary to the Government of the Federation,  Chief Olu Falae ; a former Governor of  Central Bank, Chukwuma Soludo, and Prof. Pat Utomi, in order to revive the country’s economy.

Fasehun said Buhari’s cabinet was an insult to Nigerian financial experts at home and in the Diaspora.

Addressing journalists in Lagos, on Sunday, on the state of the nation, the elder statesman stressed that the President needed “a super-team of economists to guide him through the present storm of economic problems.”

Fasehun accused the Federal Government of shielding many corrupt people in the APC from being prosecuted.

He said the President should not let his advisers deceive him because Nigeria had degenerated since he assumed power.

He said, “A review of the government’s economic team shows that it is made up of persons occupying their offices by nepotism and political expediency.  Buhari’s current cabinet is an insult to Nigerian economic wizards at home and in the Diaspora.

“This weakness became apparent with the mishandling of the 2016 budget. There is an urgent need for a complete overhauling of the government’s economic team. The government should quickly draft into its economic management team Chief Olu Falae, Mallam Adamu Ciroma, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Mrs. Nenadi Usman, Chief Isiaka Adeleke, Dr. Shamsudeen Usman, Prof. Pat Utomi, Dr. Chukwuma Soludo and Chief Frank Kokori.”

Speaking on the increase in the pump price of fuel, Fasehun slammed the Federal Government, saying the government did not consider the plight of the poor.

The UPN chieftain said President Buhari had continued to make the mistakes of his predecessors and refused to revamp the country’s refineries.

He said for the country’s democracy to thrive, the APC-led Federal Government must give opportunities for the opposition parties to flourish.

He said the Oodua People’s Congress   supported the call by the civil society groups and the Nigeria Labour Congress that the Federal Government should revert to the old pump price of N86.50.

“Demonstrations and strikes are the people’s constitutional right and, if the government fails to do the needful, the people shall exercise that right as we did during former President Goodluck Jonathan government in 2014,” he added.