Buhari who was represented by Vice-President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo at the 45th Annual Accountants Conference in Abuja on Tuesday said the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration would soon commence giving primary school children free meals....
Vice-President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo speech:
“Repositioning
Nigeria for Sustainable Development: From Rhetoric to Performance,”
Osinbajo said that the multiplier effects of the introduction of the
school feeding scheme would help to create 1.14 million new jobs;
increase food production by up to 530,000 metric tonnes per annum, as
well as attract fresh investments up to N980bn.
He said, “One of the most important
interventions required in the education sector is capacity building to
improve teacher quality.
“This programme is intended to drive
teachers’ capacity development; boost basic education; attract talents
to the teaching profession. Better educated population increases
economic potential for productivity.”
“The All Progressives Congress has made a
commitment to provide one-meal-a-day for all primary school students;
that would create jobs in agriculture, including poultry, catering and
delivery services.”
The vice president decried the high rate
of employment in the country in spite of the fact that Nigeria had
recorded high oil prices, Gross Domestic Product and foreign reserves
during the previous administrations.
This, according to him, has made it clear
that such figures, including a rise in revenue by itself, do not create
jobs or significantly reduce poverty level in the country.
“So, why are most (of our people) poor
despite rising revenues and GDP growth? Our main revenue earners, the
extractive oil and gas economy, do not by themselves create many jobs.
Such is the irony of a top-down economic model; when the major revenue
earner is extractive and the value chain is poorly developed,” he
argued.
Report by: Punch
No comments:
Post a Comment