***Says, APC ABRACADABRA Propaganda can not solve the problem

The National Secretary of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) High Chief Peter Ameh has bemoaned the downturn in the investment climate occasioned by insecurity that is causing apprehension among foreign investors who are now leaving Nigeria in droves to other African countries.
Ameh spoke against the backdrop of the News that Microsoft is closing its office in Nigeria which he said is very disturbing.
The organization announced that they will close their Ikoyi office this week.
Ameh quoted the Managing Divecter of Okomu Oli Palm Pic, Graham Holter, who said it is absurd that they pay over N12 billion in taxes to government annually and still are left to fend and seek security for equipment and personnel themselves.
“What kind of Investment-friendly environment are you providing?”
Ameh lamented that situation is devastating and there is no end in sight.
“70% of crisis the country is facing today is the result of insecurity. Government must take the bull by the horn to address it now before it’s too late but those in Government will rather prefer to be harassing Journalists and opposition parties/leaders.

‘Without effective Security Measures for the country we are in danger of losing Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) and at risk of losing the investors confidence in our economy.

“Security, good roads and train services will remain essential to ensure that we are able to protect our country from being abandoned by investors.”

In its quest to bring tranquility to the tempestuous foreign exchange market the Federal Government has asked for investment and increased trading relationships from member countries of the G-24.
These will play a critical role in the country’s quest for growth as well as ensure a stable and growing economy.
Director of Information and Public Relations Mohammed Danjuma quoted the Minister of Finance and Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun, to have made the request at the ongoing World Bank-IMF Spring Meetings holding in Washington DC.

Represented by the Director General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Mr. Ben Akabueze, the Minister informed the G-24, a group of countries working together to coordinate the positions of developing countries on international monetary and financial issues and indeed the global gathering that Nigerian Government, on its part, has administered a cocktail of intervention programmes and potent policies which are already yielding desired outcomes.

He explained that
the efforts of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led Administration towards repositioning the economy
were already yielding desired outcomes, which has significantly narrowed the gap between the exchanges at the parallel market and the Nigeria Foreign Exchange Market.

Edun said that Nigeria was well positioned to attract investments in various sectors such as manufacturing, agriculture, oil and gas, amongst others.

While responding to a question from a Russian journalist on areas of cooperation between the two countries, the Minister said that the last major investment of the Eastern European nation in Nigeria was the Ajaokuta Steel Company, which currently lies prostate over large sprawling greenfield.

He informed further that apart from Brazil, there is no country in the world with as much arable land as Nigeria, as such, the country should be a net exporter of food and not an importer.

Edun also justified the decision for the Dangote Refinery to work on meeting local demands of petroleum products before eyeing export markets.

“Does it make a meaning that domestic demand is not yet met and a company refines products and exports, while Nigeria goes and imports the same products from Europe?” he queried.

The Minister added that local refining would be encouraged until indigenous demand has been fully met, and then the nation can export products as well as earn foreign exchange from such exports.

On budget implementation, he said that the capital component of the 2023 supplementary budget was still being implemented and would run until June due to government’s determination to make impacts in various sectors.

The Minister added that the 2024 budget was being implemented as planned, assuring that the citizens would be better for it.

The Minister of Finance and Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun, has said that the Federal Government will pin down Ways and Means to deal with the problem of too much liquidity in the system, in its avowed determination to alleviate the pressure of excess money in the system.

The Minister made the disclosure in Washington DC, United States of America, while answering questions from journalists shortly
after a meeting with investors at the on-going Spring Meetings of the IMF and World Bank.
The director of Information and Public Relations Mohammed Manga in a statement quoted the minister to have informed the global gathering that the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led Administration was fully determined to
pinning down on Ways and Means to alleviate the pressure of the excess money in the system.

He added that in the light of this, the fiscal and monetary authorities were also working towards bringing down inflation. 

Mr. Edun added that by so doing, *the two authorities are working hand in hand to bring down inflation and pressure on price stability and stabilising the exchange rate with the target of bringing down interest rates so that investors can borrow at a more affordable rate with a view to getting the economy going the right direction again.

“We need to borrow less and focus more on domestic resource mobilization. We want long-term resources to avoid repayment and refinancing pressures, he said.

The Minister added further that the nation’s tax/GDP was too low, even lower than the African region’s average and that as such, reforms were underway to streamline the number of taxes, deploy technology and implement policies that would double tax revenue in the next three years
“At 10 percent to GDP, what should I say? It would appear as if some people are not paying their taxes. Our strategy is to increase the tax revenue without increasing the rate of taxes. We want to deploy technology to make tax collection more efficient. 
“Our analysis has shown that 90 percent of tax revenue comes from nine tax heads while we have over 80 taxes from federal through states to local  councils.
“If we eliminate the large number of these taxes and concentrate on the nine that yield the current 90 percent revenue and deploy technology, there will be more efficiency and we will be able to double our tax revenue in about three years”, Edun said

He stated further that “if we eliminate the large number of taxes and bill people properly, we will gain in terms of the peoples’ willingness to pay and you will collect more revenue.” The Minister assured.

While addressing a question on food security, the Minister said that the present administration was dealing with the problem so as to provide farmers’ access to their farms, especially in parts of the country where insecurity has played a major role in reducing food production. 

Mr. Edun added that agro clusters were being developed in collaboration with the African Development Bank so as to increase food production in the country. 

Alongside the Minister at the meeting were the former Minister of Finance Zainab Ahmed, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance Mrs Lydia Shehu Jafiya, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Mr Olayemi Cardoso and some other top government officials.