Emma Njoku
Former member of the House of Representatives, Zakari Mohammed, has tasked the National Assembly to prevail on the Federal Government to declare that the country was in a recession.
Mohammed, who made the call on the occasion of his 50th birthday, urged the Federal Government to suspend all capital projects and focus on how to alleviate the hardship faced by Nigerians as a result of COVID-19 pandemic.
“The Federal Government should own up and declare that Nigeria is currently in a recession. There is no need to continue to pretend about it because it is nobody’s fault. The entire globe is facing the same problem as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. The National Assembly should prevail on the Federal Government to suspend road constructions and other huge capital projects for now and focus on how to provide palliatives for Nigerians dying of hunger,” he said.
Mohammed, who represented Baruten/Kaiama Federal Constituency of Kwara State at the National Assembly, advised government to re-assemble members of the economic team that once helped the country out of recession to fashion out ways to resuscitate the economy post COVID-19 era.
“We experienced recession during the regime of late President Musa Yar’Adua and we were able to come out it. We shall also come of the current recession. All the government needs to do is to reassemble those who helped the country out of the situation then to come up with strategies on how to stimulate the economy once again. If the National Assembly does not act now, very soon there will be no money to pay their allowances. All capital projects should be put on hold for now, while available funds should be channelled towards providing palliatives for Nigerians,” he said.