Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to, as a matter of urgency, convene an emergency economic conference to enable relevant experts proffer solutions to the nation’s plummeting economy.
Soyinka, who made the call in Abuja yesterday during a courtesy visit to the Information and Culture Minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, blamed the current economic downturn on the rot perpetuated by previous administrations.
“I think the president needs to call for emergency economic conference with experts, manufacturers, consumers, labour union, university lecturers and other relevant stakeholders for rescue operations. The state of the economy is not very encouraging, it is parlous, quite frankly. I think those economic experts, chamber of commerce and private business, among others will agree with this. The economic condition of a nation does not deteriorate overnight, something came before that deterioration.’’
Soyinka said prolonged and unchecked process of attrition, which was neglected in the past, was now knocking on the door.
“The consequences of past maladministration is what we are all under-going right now. So, don’t look to see a bonanza economy in the next few months to a year; recovery is going to take quite a while. And, at the same time, we must rely on our objective economic experts to tell the government when it is going wrong and when it is taking certain measures which might just compound the problem and in the end make the people the ultimate victims.’’
The Nobel Laureate described the way the Federal Government was recovering looted funds as impressive and stressed that the tempo should be maintained.
While stressing that the government should maintain its war against corruption, Prof. Soyinka also stressed a need to pursue the anti-corruption campaign ‘within the confines of the law.’
Lai Mohammed expressed gratitude towards Prof. Soyinka for his visit and support for the anti-graft war.