By Stephen Angbulu
Members of the National Economic Council, on Thursday, in Abuja, thanked Vice President Yemi Osinbajo for showing exemplary leadership and steering the council’s affairs in the past eight years.
“We thank you for your leadership,” NEC members, including all state governors and some ministers, told the Vice President when they took turns to eulogise him at a valedictory on-site meeting at the Council Chambers in the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, disclosed this in a statement he signed late Thursday titled ‘Governors, NEC members shower accolades on Osinbajo as council holds a valedictory meeting.’
According to Akande, the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, who spoke on behalf of all the 36 governors, said, “You have managed the affairs of NEC with a sense of fairness and patriotism. NEC has been proactive and pragmatic under your leadership.
“Many a time, when the situation demands, NEC under your leadership has risen to the challenges of our national survival even beyond the scarce economic matters.
“And therefore, Mr Chairman and the Vice President, on our behalf, we congratulate you for raising the bar, for doing the nation proud and for doing very well and for serving this country in this capacity. We thank you for your leadership, you provided a level playing field for every one of us to make his contributions irrespective of our various and varying backgrounds devoid of partisanship but maintaining focus and fairly managed a platform of NEC.”
Earlier, the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, had spoken at the meeting, saying the eight years VP Osinbajo chaired NEC had shown the Council as the best of all the executive bodies spelt out in the Nigerian Constitution.
He was quoted to have said, “Out of all the federal executive bodies, only this functions according to the Constitution and this is because of the way the VP chairs the Council. I want to appreciate you and your leadership. God will reward your leadership in this country.”
Governors Badaru Abubakar of Jigawa, Ben Ayade of Cross River, Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State and Hope Uzodinma of Imo State also took turns to eulogise the VP.
In his response at the end of the meeting, Osinbajo expressed his appreciation for the gesture saying, “Thank you very much. Your Excellencies. I would like to thank Your Excellencies, members of the National Economic Council for your commitment and patriotism and the way that you have worked so hard to ensure that our country is not just properly advised by the Federal Government but the country at all times is kept.”
He added, “I must say that in very many ways, the National Economic Council in the past few years or 10 to 15 years has demonstrated that our country has quality leadership. Your political leadership has shown in very many ways that we respect working together as a country.”
The Vice President also presented a Legacy Document of NEC in the last eight years. According to him, the Legacy Document is a report of the activities of the National Economic Council from 2015 to 2023, a summary of all the activities, including the significant contributions of the National Economic Council from 2015 to 2023.
The Chairman, Board of Directors of the NSIA, Mr. Farouk Gumel, and the Managing Director/CEO Mr. Aminu Umar-Sadiq, made presentations to the council where it was revealed that the agency maintained 10-year profitability, generating N1tn in 2022.
Source: The Punch
