President Bola Tinubu has met with private sector key players, sought additional efforts to address the cost of living crisis in the country.
In attendance at the meeting held within the Presidential Villa Abuja include Africa’s richest man and owner of Dangote industries, Aliko Dangote; industrialist AbdulSamad Rabiu and banker Tony Elumelu.
Mr Dangote told newsmen that the meeting discussed “the economy, food security and security of the nation.”
Also speaking at the end of the meeting, Mr Elumelu expressed the confidence that the economy would bounce back with implementation of its decisions.
He said, “Implementing the decisions we arrived at today will help propel our economy.”
However, an official transcript of the meeting, recorded President Tinubu as telling his guests that his government was looking for “additional efforts” that could help the downtrodden Nigerians in this challenging period.
“Let’s look at what we’re doing right and what we’re doing wrong to bring life back to the economy. Like I said, many times, the people of this country are only the people whom we have to please.
“And we are very much concerned from students to mothers and fathers, farmers, the traders and realise that every one of us will have to fetch water from the same well.
“We’re looking for additional efforts that might help the downtrodden Nigerians and we will provide that hope and reassurance that economic recovery is on its way.
“We are not saying that we have all the answers. But we will not be blamed for not trying. We assure Nigerians that we will do our best to get our marshall plan in place and fashion out the best economic future for this country,” the president said.
