The Vice President, Kashim Shettima, and Nigerian governors have set up committees on crude oil theft and management, as well as economic affairs.
This resolution was reached at the 138th virtual meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC) held on Thursday.
As outlined in a statement by Stanley Nkwocha, the Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communications, the committees will be chaired by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazak of Kwara State and his counterpart from Imo State, Hope Uzodimma.
He said the meeting followed “deliberations on critical economic matters and assessments of potential short-term, medium and long-term strategies for addressing pressing economic issues.”
The Economic Matters committee is assigned the responsibility of developing a comprehensive roadmap for addressing petroleum subsidy issues. This includes formulating a framework for wage negotiations, managing exchange rates, ensuring fiscal consolidation sustainability, liquidity management, addressing inflation concerns, fostering medium-term investment and growth, ensuring fiscal transparency and accountability, and addressing the state of emergency on food production for 2024.
Committee members include the Governor of Gombe State (representing North East), Governor of Lagos State (South West), Governor of Akwa Ibom State (South-South), Governor of Anambra State (South East), Governor of Niger State (North Central), and Governor of Kaduna State (North West).
The Special Adviser to the President on NEC and Climate Change, Rukaiya El-Rufai, will serve as the Secretary.
The Crude Oil Theft and Management Committee, an existing NEC committee, has been reconstituted with Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State as its chairperson.
Other members include the Governor of Ogun State (representing South West), Governor of Plateau State (North Central), Governor of Rivers State (South-South), Governor of Borno State (North East), Governor of Jigawa State (North West), Governor of Abia State (South East), Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, CBN Governor, GCEO of NNPCL, NDDC Chairman, and Service Chiefs.
The secretariat will be located at the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, with the Special Adviser to the President on Economic Matters, Dr Tope Fasua, serving on the committee.