Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has
advised state governors to stop the blame game and resist playing politics with
issues of human capital development.
Mr Osinbajo said “now is the time
to get the job done.”
He made the call on Friday at an
extended meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC) at the State House
Conference Centre, Abuja.
The meeting focused on the Human
Capital Development plan of the APC administration, which is hinged on three
main thematic areas; health and nutrition, education and labour force
participation.
“As a government, we are fully
aware of the issues and we are committed to transforming them. There is no
denying that debilitating levels of poverty existed in spite of huge earnings
in the past.
”We are doing exactly what
countries like India and Brazil did in similar situations,, for instance,
kickstarting the Social Investment Programme (SIP).
“Since the meeting in March, we
have made significant progress, adding more than two million people to the
programme, feeding over nine million school children everyday et al. We must
ensure that what we are investing in must produce tangible results.
“The federal government must
together with states collaborate on issue of human capital development, it
should not be a platform for blame games. Concerted collaboration is required
now so we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past. Constant communication with
the people is equally important because the resources belong to them, ” he
said.
The vice president also spoke on
the need to promote transparency, accountability and improve existing data.
Mr Osinbajo also launched the
Human Capital Development Programme; Healthy, Educated and Productive Nigerians
for a Globally Competitive Nation vision by 2030.
In his remarks, Nigeria Governors
Forum (NGF) chairman and Governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari, said the
governors have been working hard to make Nigeria’s economy work in a more
transparent manner.
He said all the governors remain
accountable to the people, adding “we have tried to make sure that every cent
is well spent.”
According to him, the concerns
raised on the human capital development can only be addressed with the
availability of funds.
”I can assure you that the
governors are committed but we have to work harder in the area of revenue
generation to address all these competing demands,” he said.
Mr Yari queried the fact that
Value Added Tax (VAT) has remained stagnant at five percent for the past 25
years, insisting that a political decision has to be taken to increase it in
the new year.
The World Bank Nigeria Country
Director, Rachid Benmessaoud, who also spoke on human capital development, said
for the world to do well, Nigeria has to do well because the world relies on
Nigeria’s human capital.
He said the quality of education
improves young person’s opportunity to earn a living and help the economy,
urging the government to work on improving human capital development.
Also, the Association of National
Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN), speaking through its President, Shehu Ladan,
listed quality education, special agencies for skills, entrepreneurial support,
vocational training, and improved infrastructure and improved health care
sector as factors that will improve the country’s human capital development.
The Country Director of UK’s
Department For International Development (DFID), Debbie Palmer, said Nigeria is
ranked near the bottom of the World Bank’s Human Capital Index (152 out of 157
countries), describing it as a rude wake up call for everyone in the country
and for everyone who cares about Nigeria.
“Nigeria will be the third
largest nation in the world by 2050, we need well-nourished, healthy, educated
and skilled people who can go out and get jobs.
“The projected population growth
could be a big boost to Nigeria’s economic fortunes with more people of working
age driving economic progress. But for this to happen, we urgently need
increased investment in service delivery to avoid an undernourished, unhealthy
and unemployed nation, ” she said.
On his part said, the Country
Director of the United States Agency For International Development, USAID, said
the U.S government will continue to honour partnerships in the areas of
education and health as well as with the private sector.
Also, the managing director and
CEO of Dangote Foundation, Zouera Youssoufou, commended the government for its
commitment to see to improvement in human capital development.
Those in attendance at the NEC
extended meeting were governors of all the states of the federation or their
representatives, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and development
partners among others.
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