Former Vice President of Nigeria, Mr. Atiku Abubakar has stated that
Nigeria must take decisive Economic Action to protect her people from the ravages of the Coronavirus.
Atiku, who made this ascertion in a press statement he signed and made available to newsmen, expressed worry that the coronavirus is raging in the world and not just ravaging human beings but also affecting economies, Nigeria’s inclusive.
He said Nigeria is not an island onto itself hence, measures must be taken to protect the economic well being of the nation and the people.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential candidate in the 2019 general elections emphasised that every action that can be taken to ease the cost of doing business in Nigeria and reduce the cost of living, while promoting consumer confidence must be implemented.
In his words, “all hands must be on deck in a multi partisan manner to ensure that Nigeria does not return to economic recession. This is possible with decisive leadership and disciplined management.”
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Mr. Atiku therefore recommended that policies like the Stamp Duty on all types of accounts be temporarily suspended, until such a time as the nation’s economy has turned the tide in the fight against this virulent scourge.
“Furthermore, as the landing cost of Premium Motor Spirit, also known as petrol, has reduced significantly, it is strongly recommended that the government should not absorb the savings, but should pass it on to the Nigerian people by way of reducing the pump price of PMS to reflect the current prevailing market costs.”
In addition to these measures, he also urged government to request large scale industrialists and employers of labour not to disengage workers saying the scourge will definitely affect their production and profitability.
He opined that if they know that the government is behind them and will do all to support them, they are less likely to disengage workers.
He said “these are extraordinary times, and we as a nation must take extraordinary measures to protect the entire nation. Nigeria is our collective home, as such, we must suppress every partisan disagreement and think and work patriotically to ensure our national survival in the midst of global uncertainty.”
