The President of the Ebonyi Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, EBCIMA, Dr Ezeh Emmanuel Ezeh, has urged President Bola Tinubu to rejig his cabinet to save the Nigerian economy and unite the country.
Speaking with journalists in Enugu on Monday, Ezeh who is a chieftain of the Labour Party, stated that Tinubu’s administration has been suffering from “announcement effect” due to the unplanned and sudden removal of petrol subsidy which tumbled an already fragile economy.
According to Ezeh: “The current president promised to continue from where Buhari left off, and he is indeed making efforts to fulfil that promise. However, it’s essential to reflect on the lessons we’ve learned from waiting for competence to emerge. We spent eight years waiting for Buhari’s tenure to end, only to find ourselves facing an even deeper nightmare.
“President Tinubu began his administration on somewhat shaky ground, falling into what economists call ‘announcement effects’ with his initial policy moves. While many Nigerians wanted an end to the subsidy conundrum, they also desired a well-thought-out process, shared vision, and collective understanding of the pains involved in reform. Unfortunately, the abrupt removal of subsidies without adequate communication will likely haunt this administration throughout its tenure.”
Speaking on the way out of the current economic crisis in the country, Ezeh advised the president to infuse competent hands into his administration, warning that unless drastic measures were taken, the current suffering poses a serious socio-political threat to Nigeria’s corporate existence.
“Leadership should involve guiding citizens through the dark nights of necessary reforms. The suffering, tone-deafness of political class, rampant corruption, and debilitating economic challenges are adversities that may ultimately unite Nigerians.
“President Tinubu has an opportunity to revisit President Obasanjo’s playbook. Obasanjo faced a completely stagnant economy but rallied the best minds from all walks of life. Within a few years, Nigeria bounced back. We have abundant human and material resources; what we urgently need is a government of national unity.
” Such a cabinet should comprise 35 per cent technocrats, 45 per cent politicians, and 20 per cent bureaucrats drawn from every corner of Nigeria. In fact, President Tinubu could benefit from assembling a ‘War Cabinet’ to address our current economic crisis effectively,” Ezeh advised.