..Says he grew Nigeria’s Foreign Reserve From $29.6bn to $47.5bn in 3-yrs

…As Awosika Identifies Gaps in Nigeria’s Productivity Sector

ABUJA – PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari, Tuesday, warned that his administration would not tolerate mediocrity from any public or private citizens.

But he also promised that he would go out of his way to reward excellence.

President Buhari who gave the warning at the 17th National Productivity Order of Merit, NPOM, Awards at the Nigerian Airforce Conference Centre, Abuja, in his promise to reward excellence, presented awards to the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita and other distinguished Nigerians drawn from the corporate and public sectors.

In his address, President Buhari frowned at menance of corruption which he said had affected the economic well being of the country and warned that his government would not compromise on policies that would ultimately help to sustain the productive capacity of the country.

He used occasion to reel out some of his achievement in office in the last three years, saying under a recessed economy, he built Nigeria’s foreign reserve from about $29.6bn in 2015 to $47.5billion as at May, 18, 2018.

According to the President, the Gross Domestic Product(GDP) in Nigeria stood at 1.95percent at the end of the first quarter of 2018, a feat his predecessors could hardly boast of even while the economy was bouyant with huge capital inflow from oil resources.

He noted that with the Treasury Single Account policy there was greater accountability in his government, stressing that the policy has saved the country N200billion an amount that would have been fretted away paying ghost workers.

Speaking on the theme: “Productivity for Economic Recovery and Sustainable Growth” Buhari said no nation can attain prosperity without vibrant and productive citizens.

In her presentation, a foremost industrialist and banker, Ibukun Awosika identified gaps in Nigeria’s bilateral policies which she said was militating against its growth.

She said more often than not, Nigeria signs bilateral deals with foreign multinational firms but feign ignorance of the need to leverage on such deals to provide jobs for its teaming population.

Awosika also noted that the nation’s leadership ought to device means of harnessing potentials in the youth population, adding that ideas that boost productivity should be made to trickle down from the central government to the federating states.

Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige however took a swipe at the the opposition.

Apparently referring to ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, Ngige said the ruling All Progressives Congress APC, government can never be perturbed with letters of criticism coming from the former President.

In his remarks, the Director General of National Productivity Centre, Dr. Kashim Amor stated that the process of selecting the awardees was a rigorous one.

He said the award should spur the awardees to a greater height in the service of their fatherland.