ABUJA (Min of Budget and National Planning) – The Minister of State for Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mr. Clement Agba, has declared that his immediate target is attending to President Muhammadu Buhari’s promise to deliver the 2020 Budget to the National Assembly by September 2019.
Mr Agba made this declaration at the reception and hand-over ceremony of the Ministry’s affairs by the Permanent Secretary, which held at the Conference Room of the Ministry, recently.
He called on Staff for their co-operation and commitment, saying that, the only way to succeed is to work together, as well as working smartly, in the discharge of their duties.
While speaking earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Ernest Umakhire, formally welcomed the Minister and assured him of their dedication and readiness to work with him, in order to achieve the objectives of government and the onerous tasks ahead.
He also appraised the Minister of the key mandate of the Ministry, which includes; advising the Government of the Federation on matters relating to national development and overall management of the national economy; and providing budget functions, implementing budget and fiscal policies of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The Permanent Secretary continued that one of the enviable achievements of the immediate past dispensation was ensuring the stability and growth of the Nigerian economy when it went into recession.
He said, “This was done through the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP), a short medium term plan spanning the period 2017-2020. The ERGP is now being concluded and arrangements are ongoing to put in act a successor plan aimed at consolidating the gains of the ERGP and to also act as a Roadmap for the Next Level agenda of the Government”.
The Director General, Nigerian Institute Of Social And Economic Research (NISER), Dr. Folarin Gbadebo Smith, in his vote of thanks, congratulated the Minister and pledged on behalf of the Ministry to give maximum support to him so as to actualize his plans for the Ministry.
Victoria Agba-Attah
Director Information, MBNP
