By Franklin Alli

The Organised Private sector, OPS, has criticized the non-representation of their members on the Federal Government’s Economic Management Team.

The OPS comprises NACCIMA, MAN, NASME, NECA, NASSI and NESG.

Vanguard learnt that the current economic management team of President Muhammadu Buhari is headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

File: L-R Minister of Women Affairs Aisha Jummai AL-Hassan; Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalong; Deputy Chief of Staff Mr Ade Ipaye; National Security Adviser, Major- Gen. Babagana Monguno; Head of Service of the Federation, Winifred Ita-Oyo; Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari; Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Engr. Babachir David Lawal and President Muhammadu Buhari during the Federal Executive Council meeting, held at the Presidential Villa on 7th Nov 2015

Other members of the team includes the Chief of Staff to the President, Alhaji Kyari; Deputy Chief of Staff Ade Ipaye; Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma; Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun; Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu; Minister of Trade and Investment, Okechukwu Enelamah; Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele and the Director-General of the Debt Management Office (DMO).

Reacting to this development, Chief Dr Bassey Edem National President- NACCIMA, noted: “Thank you very much Vanguard for raising this issue. It is a shame that Nigeria is said to have an Economic Team with no representative from the Organized Private Sector.

“We in NACCIMA sent a memo to President Buhari when the Team was being constituted but there was no response. I even raised the issue during NESG Economic Summit Round Table session with Vice President Osinbajo in attendance yet no action. The Economic Team is for Nigeria as a whole and not just for the Public Sector. It is still not too late to co-opt the Organized Private Sector into it, especially NACCIMA which is the “Voice of Nigerian Business “to balance it up,” he said.

The President of Sapele Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, Prince David Iweta, also said that he was surprised that the current economic team of the federal government doesn’t encompass the private sector.

“Even when in the past they have members of the OPS on the team, they don’t consult the OPS members before they take decision; this is why there have been policy shocks because governments always take us by surprise.

“As for me, I have resolved to no longer attend seminars called by governments because they end up as paper–tigers. Who are the ones to diversify the economy- is it the Ministers in Abuja, is it the directors of CBN or the foreign speakers; the answer is no. It is those who are already involved in agriculture, mining, manufacturing as private sector that will diversify the economy.

However, in a statement, the Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande, explained that unlike what obtained in the past, Buhari’s administration did not make anybody from the private sector a member of the economic management team.

“The economic management is a government affair. Unlike in the past when private sector individuals were made members of the economic management team; what this administration is doing is to constantly engage representatives of the private sector,” he said.