From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Presidency has announced that the National Economic Council (NEC) will hold a two-day retreat on Monday and Tuesday next week.
Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the Vice President, Laolu Akande said in a statement that President Muhammadu Buhari will deliver the keynote address during the formal opening session.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who is the chairman of NEC, an advisory body to the President, would preside over the retreat with governors from the 36 states of the Federation attending, including Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Budget and National Planning Minister, among other top government functionaries. “The objective of the NEC retreat is to provide a forum for in-depth discussions by NEC members of the policy actions that the states and the Federal Government can consider in order to stimulate local production, cut costs and enhance public revenues among other measures to stimulate the economy.
“Contrary to suggestions, the retreat is not an emergency national economic conference. The idea was mooted at the last regular NEC meeting in January, where members requested an intensive session to review economic trends and evolve strategies to cope.”