Mr Ayodele Fayose, the Ekiti State governor has once again taken on President Muhammadu Buhari, describing  the just-concluded National Economic Council (NEC) retreat as mere jamboree and

waste of over N250 million of public fund.

According to the outspoken Governor, “the retreat has

further exposed that the All Progressives Congress (APC) government of

President Mohammadu Buhari lacked economic blueprint as the president

is still talking the way he talked while seeking for votes from

Nigerians.”

In a statement issued  by his Special Assistant on Public

Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka,  Governor Fayose said “it

is strange that close to one year after President Buhari was sworn in,

he still cannot tell Nigerians one major economic step his government

has taken to salvage the economy. He has not taken any key step and

there is no economic team. That is strange!

He said; “I was at the retreat and I can tell Nigerians categorically

that it was just a jamboree. It was a waste of over N250 million

public funds, because most of the resource persons were the same people

who ran their States aground.

“Instead of wasting over N250 million on such a jamboree, it would

have been better if the fund is given to those downtrodden Nigerians,

who are trading with as little as N5,000.

“For instance, at N10,000 each, N250 million will go round 25,000

pepper sellers whose capital is not more than N5,000 and that would go

a long way in boosting their trade.

“Even most governors, including those of the APC were not happy with

the economic retreat. Almost everything they proposed was opposed by

the Governors.

“Also, the president in presenting himself as APC president alone and

speaking as if he was still canvassing votes and chose the retreat to

tell the 22 states governed by the APC to build 250,000 housing units

per annum. The question is which state in the present Nigeria can

build 10,000 housing units per year?

“To me, the Federal Government appears not ready to face reality. The

economic retreat sounds like another talk shop retreat and a clear

indication that APC and President Buhari did not have an economic

blueprint even when it took two months after winning election for the

president to assume office.”