Contrary to insinuations in certain quarters that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari lacks an economic management team nine months into its tenure, the presidency has affirmed that there is an economic team in place.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, said that the economic team was constituted in November when the Federal Executive Council (FEC) was inaugurated.
The media aide was reacting to reports in some sections of the media where some ecomic experts were calling on the president to form an economic management team.
Akande said the present adminstration’s economic team is headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
He listed the other members of the team as Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun; Minister of Budget and National Planning, Sen. Udoma Udo Udoma; Minister of Trade, Industry and Investment , Okechukwu Enelamah; Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, and the Director General of the Debt Management Office.
Furthermore, he said the team’s membership was not static, as Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbe and Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, have had cause to join it in the past.
While there is no member of the private sector in the present team, unlike in the previous administration, Akande said the team has been meeting and engaging the private sector on how best to move the country forward economically.