By UDEME CLEMENT
The effort of National Planning Commission (NPC) to return the country to the era of strategic planning, after decades of absence, received a boost following the pledge by the Senate Committee on National Planning, Economic Affairs and Poverty to support the NPC succeed in the quest.

The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Barnabas Gemade, made this known in an interactive session of the committee and the NPC aimed at updating the committee on the activities of the commission.

He chided previous government for failing to plan, arguing that Nigeria would have fared better had efforts been made to return the country to strategic planning.

Also, speaking at the meeting, the Minister of NPC, Dr. Shamsuddeen Usman, explained that a key mandate of the Commission is to develop credible strategic plans, which, in fulfilment, the home-grown long term strategic framework was introduced with the Vision 20:2020 as foundation aimed at repositioning the economy among the top 20 measured by the year 2020.

Usman added that the vision is anchored on two specific targets, by 2020, the GDP of not less than$900bilion and per capita income of not less than $4,000.

He highlighted the key focal areas of Mr. President’s transformation agenda, which is the blue print of key policies, programmes and projects to b e implemented by government, as good governance, infrastructure development, human capital development, job creation and strong and  inclusive growth to address  poverty rate and achieve the MDGs.

The Minister dismissed the insinuation that the growth recorded in the economy is not real,  stressing  that if it was not, the World Bank and IMF would have challenged it.