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| VP, Osinbajo & Pres. Buhari |
President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday
in Abuja identified five key sectors which the country must focus on to revive
the economy.
In a welcome address he
delivered at the opening of the two-day National Economic Council retreat
holding in Abuja, Buhari said the challenges militating against development in
agriculture, power, manufacturing, housing and the health care sectors must be
squarely addressed to lift millions of Nigerians out of poverty.
The president expressed regret
that despite huge oil revenues, the nation’s health sector remained
undeveloped, forcing Nigerians to spend $1 billion yearly to get medical
treatment abroad.
He lamented the state of the
health sector and said urgent measures must be put in place to improve health
facilities in the country.
“In attacking the challenges of
this sector, we could start with more funding for health centres to improve
service delivery. The World Bank and World Health Organisation (WHO) could be
persuaded to increase their assistance,” he added.
The purpose of the retreat as
outlined in the retreat concept notes is to generate immediate, medium and
long-term viable policy solutions to the economic challenges facing the country
at both the federal and state levels.