The Honourable Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Sen. Abubakar Atiku Bagudu has called on Development Partners to enable Nigeria have access to long term capital for its economic growth and development.
Sen. Bagudu made this call while receiving in audience the new United Nations Resident Coordinator and Representative of the Secretary General in Nigeria, Mohammed Malik Fall in his office, recently.
The Minister appreciated the interventions of the UN System in the country. He particularly commended the UN system for the support given to Borno citizens by encouraging them to go back to their farms and villages. It must be noted that the Borno citizens have suffered several years of insurgency in the North East of the country.
Sen. Bagudu hoped however that the UN Partnership would be sustained in the country. The Minister extolled the United Nations as the greatest tool for drawing attention to issues of inequality, hunger and poverty in the world.
Mr. Malik Fall the new UN Resident Coordinator said the UN was willing to assist Nigeria in tackling the economic challenges of inflation and currency depreciation the nation is facing at the moment, as these challenges have a way of impacting negatively on vulnerable groups in the country.
He promised to bring all the assets in the UN System that is the UN Country team (UNDP, International Labour Organisation (ILO), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF) among others in order to tackle Nigeria’s peculiar challenges in an articulated manner, and also deliver as one to avoid duplication.
Mr. Fall is on his second tour of duty having served as a representative of UNICEF in his first tour of duty.
Julie Osagie-Jacob
Director Information (BEP)
