BY PROVIDENCE OBUH

Former Head of State, Chief Ernest Shonekan, has called for collaboration between the public and private sectors in driving the growth and development of the Nigerian economy.

Shonekan made this call during the dinner reception organised by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, NESG, to unveil the new Chairman, Mr. Folusho Phillips, and Board members, coupled with the send forth of the immediate past Chairman, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, and retiring board members.

Shoenkan, who is also a founding member of the NESG, said, “If you have to move the country forward, the private and public sectors will have to align themselves in the value they share.”

Speaking on the new elected Chairman and board members of the Group, he said the quality of job they are able to gross in the long run would be better appreciated than the job they are doing.

“It is not the job that matters, but the quality of job one is able to do,” he explained.

The immediate past Chairman of the NESG called on the Federal Government to ensure that all recommendations made by the Group in their deliberations be adopted. Ohuabunwa said the summit is focused on what is best for the country.

According to Ohuabunwa, “It is high time the Federal Government decided to take the recommendation of the summit to the Federal Executive Council for adoption.”

He noted that the country needs the summit for its economic development, saying “People ask me, all the talks and the recommendation you have been sending, what do they do with them, my respond is always if you think things are bad and we have been talking and recommending, can you consider what it will be if we did not talk or recommend anything?”

Continuing, he said from 1993 till date, the principle of liberalisation, principle of deregulation and adoption of world global standard are some of the things we got to appreciate, noting that whether or not there should be hope and trust that some day the country will get there.

“Thank God we have vision 2020, which is the rallying point. I believe we will all move in that direction”, he said.

Also speaking, the new Chairman, Mr Folusho Phillips, commended the out going chairman for his effort during his tenure, saying that his advise will be of immense benefit to the group whenever the needs arises.

Phillips promised to go back to basics, to see what the past leaders have done that have added value to the summit as well as seek former Directors’ opinion on ways of moving the Group forward.

He added that the forth coming summit of the Group will be used as a catalyst to drive international bodies into the country, promising more of an international summit than what it used to be in the past which is local.

Disclosing that NESG now has a property of its own, he appreciated the Director General, Mr. Frank Nweke Jnr, for his unwavering effort for the Group.

Present at the event were Chairman, Board of Patrons, Chief Phillip Asiodu, Professor. Anya O. Anya, Partner Tax, Regulatory and People services KPMG Advisory, Mr. Wole Abayomi, former ICAN President, J.K. Randle, Managing Directors of banks, among others.