Foreign Donors Cannot Design Programs For Nigeria —FG

The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, says that the ministry will give direction to international donors on what the country requires.

Zainab Ahmed announced this during a maiden meeting with Directors and Heads of Units of the Ministry of Budget and National Planning in Abuja on Monday.

She explained that she would soon convene a meeting with all foreign donors to present to them what Nigeria needed.

The minister added that, henceforth, no foreign donor should design a programme in the name of assisting the country.

Ahmed also directed her team at Budget and National Planning to begin another planning process for the country as vision 2020 programme would soon elapse.

She enjoined relevant stakeholders involved to consult widely and come up with a national planning programme that could be run between 10 and 15 years.

According to her, a lot of tasks have been given to the ministry by the president and time is of the essence in ensuring delivery in all the mandates.

The minister specifically mentioned that the 2020 budget must be ready in September, based on the directive of the President.

She also charged the management staff and other personnel in the ministry to work for an increase in revenue of the country.

She said that there was a need to increase revenue performance from 55 per cent in 2018 to 85 per cent.

The minister said that the introduction of Treasury Single Account had helped to block some loopholes hence the need to enhance its performance.

“There is need to work together for the success of the ministry and indeed this administration,” she said.

(NAN)