An Economist, Mr Godwin Anono, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to promptly name his ministers, to send positive signals to foreign investors and create economic certainty in the country.
Anono, who is the President, Standard Shareholders Association of Nigeria, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Monday.
“The swift appointment of cabinet ministers will give the impression that the Federal Government wants to hit the ground running by consolidating on his previous policies.
“There should be no room for any vacuum. Prompt appointments will show that the government wants to consolidate on its policies and will erase the impression of the past that the government is too slow,” he said.
Anono, therefore, urged the government to tackle security challenges in the country, to create confidence in the economy.
According to him, the government should recruit about 50,000 new policemen annually for the next decade, to stem the security challenges.
He said the policemen could be funded through the value added tax and taxes on luxury goods.
“The issue of insecurity in some parts of the country has been one of our major challenges because it has discouraged many investors from doing business in Nigeria.
“Besides, the ongoing efforts to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure should be sustained to stimulate growth.
“The government should make sure that the Second Niger Bridge is completed as scheduled, to open up the economy of that part of the country.
“The completion of the bridge should be one of the legacies of the Buhari administration,” he said.
Anono added that the nation’s power problem and thye enhancement of its network of roads should be tackled through more public/private partnership efforts.
