From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, leadership of the National Assembly, as well as that of the Judiciary will, today, consider new and specific initiatives to be implemented over a 60-day period in the National Action Plan 2.0 of the the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC).
Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the Vice President, Laolu Akande, in a statement, said the meeting is in furtherance of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration’s ease of doing business reforms.
The meeting of February 21 had approved a 60-day National Action Plan on Ease of Doing Business.
The national action plan contained initiatives and actions implemented by responsible Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), the National Assembly, the Governments of Lagos and Kano states, as well as some private sector stakeholders.
Akande said today’s expanded PEBEC meeting will be attended by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara and the Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Walter Onnoghen.
Also expected at the meeting are Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, and Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, as well as the Acting Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control (NAFDAC), who was invited to the session based on stakeholder feedback.
PEBEC, which was inaugurated in 2016, by President Muhammadu Buhari, comprises 10 ministers with the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Okey Enelamah, as Vice Chairman, along with the Head of Service of the Federation, the Central Bank Governor, representatives of the National Assembly, Lagos and Kano states, and the private sector.
At the 5th Presidential Quarterly Business Forum of the Enabling Business Environment Secretariat (EBES) of the PEBEC presided over by Prof. Osinbajo, the 2016/2017 reform update document was released, where the role of regulators as business facilitators was further discussed.