A former Governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Tinubu, is proposing a harmonisation of Nigeria’s monetary and fiscal policy. The recommendation is in line with efforts to restructure the nation’s economy for the benefit of Nigerians, he said. Mr Tinubu, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), made the suggestion on Wednesday at a lecture on strategic leadership at the National Defence College (NDC) in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.

He called for the realignment of trade policy with a meaningful industrial base supported by a more potent agricultural sector. The former governor of Lagos State advised the Federal Government not to allow cheap imports to impede the development of industries and sectors strategic to Nigeria’s enduring economic future. “Strategic objectives during this period of economic uncertainty must be to re-engineer the economy bottom up, diversify the economic base, strengthen our industrial base, modernise infrastructure, enhance agriculture and provide employment,” he said.

Lecturing the participants of Course 25 of the NDC, the APC leader also outlined the lessons learnt from the fight against insurgency and the threat posed by widespread poverty. “We have learnt cardinal lessons from the Boko Haram crisis. First, we must govern justly and for the benefit of the people to prevent the recurrence of violent extremism in the future. “Widespread poverty caused by an unjust allocation of income, wealth and resources provides fertile ground for extremist ideologies that run contrary to the inclusive democracy we seek to perfect.

“Protracted years of gross mis-governance are a down payment on the rise of extremism,” Tinubu pointed out. The Commandant of the college, Rear Admiral Samuel Alade, on his part, asked African leaders to imbibe the ideals of strategic leadership. The lecture series, which were part of the requirements for NDC participants, were aimed at producing leaders who would proffer solutions to the problems of their countries.

Source: Channels Tv