Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo says Nigeria is on the way to economic diversification as it concentrates on non-oil exports, particularly with the zero-oil plan of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC).
Osinbajo said this yesterday when he hosted a delegation of the NEPC, led by its outgoing Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Segun Awolowo, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Quoting the Vice-President, a statement by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity in the Office of the Vice-President, Mr. Laolu Akande, said: “We are set on the right path, and I like the fact that we are focused on non-oil exports. We are facing the challenges and we are facing them head-on.
“In the next few years, those of us who are policymakers and looking at the future, must, today, have a plan. We have set ourselves on an inevitable course of a zero-oil plan.”
Osinbajo hailed Awolowo for his foresight, saying: “I want to commend you for your foresight, for putting in place a plan that is very well structured and detailed.
“It is very important to note that we are certainly getting away from the oil and gas era. In the past, we used to think that it would still take a while. But today, with the circumstances and all of the various factors around the world (less dependence on oil, Climate Change, and COP), it is inevitable.”
Osinbajo noted that “the Export Expansion Facility Programme (EEFP) is a natural progression for the Zero-Oil Plan” when speaking on the efforts of the NEPC to ensure that the objectives of government were realized.
The Vice-President encouraged stakeholders in the sector to be ready for the challenges ahead.
