Former presidential candidate, ObyEzekwesili, on Tuesday, while commending President Buhari for constituting a new economic council, urged team, “to make it a priority to tell President Muhammadu Buhari, how he has mismanaged the economy.”
Ezekwesili, who was also Nigeria’s former Education Minister, in her tweeter handle accused the government of copying the concept of Economic Advisory Council from the American presidential system.
Recall that the Presidency had earlier in the week announced a economic council made up the following: Prof. Doyin Salami – Chairman; Dr. Mohammed Sagagi – Vice-Chairman; Prof. Ode Ojowu – Member; Dr. Shehu Yahaya – Member; Dr. Iyabo Masha – Member; Prof. Chukwuma Soludo – Member; Mr. Bismark Rewane – Member; Dr. Mohammed Adaya Salisu – Secretary (Senior Special Assistant to the President, Development Policy).
He words: “The setting up a Council of Economic Advisors is in itself one of the features of the American Presidential system which we copied
“Strong membership and that’s really great. I hope the first thing they do is tell the President how he mismanaged the economy in the last 4 years.
“For those who will jump on this timeline to say, ‘It was not the President that was in charge of the economy. It was the VP chairing the Economic Team’ please don’t bother.
“The President was managing the economy. All those bad monetary policy decisions were made by him.
“Two, the President was managing the economy. All those strange fiscal policy decisions were made by him. Both the CBN Governor and the Ministers of Finance were not acting based on any Economic Management Team decisions. For WIA. Now at least the pretence is over about economy.
“The EMT was in reality chaired by the VP who had no power over core economic policy decisions. The other side of the Presidency did not mind having him be the cannon fodder for all the extremely bad economic policy decisions.
“A President, not VP runs the economy. I know that.”