Buhari’s government is confused - Ezekwesili blows hot

Former Vice President of the World Bank for Africa, Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili, has described the economic policies of the government as “confusing,” expressing regret that in spite of the confusion, the government remains “adamant.”

Ezekwesili, convener of the Bring Back Our Girls and former minister was speaking in the current edition of The Interview magazine.

Answering a question on the call for diversification, she said: “I am not a fan of the economic policies of this government so far; I feel it’s too tentative in making even the right policy decisions and even when it tries to make the right policy decisions, it has been in the breach. It has been very confusing.”

In a statement, the MD/Editor-In-Chief of The Interview, Azu Ishiekwene, described the interview as “a no-nonsense call to reflection. Oby is not treading on eggshells. It’s bareknuckle stuff.”

Ezekwesili said: “It’s not that the government is timid; it’s about doing the wrong things and being adamant about them.”

She cited the government’s monetary and fiscal policies as key areas of denial of “empirical evidence” and called for structural reforms and better citizen engagement.

In the interview, conducted before the BBOG’s visit to Sambisa, Ezekwesili wept over the fate of the remaining Chibok girls, saying the episode had exposed the Federal Governments in their “worst form.”

She spoke on what she would do if President Muhammadu Buhari invited her to serve; her perception of former President Goodluck Jonathan and her relationship with former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Also in this edition, the founder of the Centre for Values in Leadership, Prof Pat Utomi, spoke, among other things, on why he is not in Buhari’s cabinet and on Nigeria’s “self-inflicted recession.”

Entrepreneur Mo Abudu; leadership capital enthusiast, Linus Okorie; and pharmacist-turned-bag designer, Maureen Obayewa, also share their experiences.