Despite the current turbulent socioeconomic conditions and the challenges they pose, generating economic growth, eradicating poverty, developing human capital and building up Nigeria’s infrastructural backbone in a sustainable manner is doable, especially with a sense of urgency, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) has said.

Osinbajo therefore charged all the tiers of government and critical partners to be focused, open-minded and collaborative in meeting shared aspirations, providing better and fuller lives and decent jobs for Nigerians, especially the youths.

In a statement issued by his media aide, Laolu Akande, Prof Osinbajo expressed these views while virtually declaring open the 20th meeting of the Joint Planning Board and the National Council on Development Planning in Maiduguri, Borno State.

Members of the board and council are drawn from the federal government and economic planning commissioners from the states.

The vice president who spoke on the COVID-19 pandemic, security, climate change, education, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, noted that these issues require deliberate policy responses and deserve the attention of economic managers.

On the government’s response to the pandemic, he said, “The COVID-19 pandemic has had a unique and devastating impact on our health, economic systems, and social life.  For a vibrant and enterprising people like ours, the whole experience of lockdowns and social distancing has been quite trying while economic difficulties made existing socio-economic conditions even harder.