Osita Ogbu

Osita Ogbu OON (born 1957) is a Nigerian politician. He is the professor of development economics at the University of Nigeria. He was the Minister of National Planning in Nigeria from 2005 to 2006, and former chief economic advisor to the president of Nigeria. He once served as the executive director of the African Technology Policy Studies Network, Nairobi, after having served as senior program specialist-economics of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada and Consultant Research Economist of the World Bank, Washington D.C.He is also a former visiting fellow of the Brookings Institution's Africa Growth Initiative. Osita Ogbu was the director of the Institute for Development Studies, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus. Aside from having served as former chairman of the Governing Council of the National Institute for Economic and Social Research (NISER), he is the Chief Executive Officer of the African Development Solutions International [ADSI] and a member of the Global Advisory Board of the Institute for Governance and Economic Transformation (IGET). Quotes In spite of the seeming dangers of our time, we are compelled to speak based on the mandate of our conscience and the disquiet contradictions of our time. urges Nigerians to act now for tomorrow’s sake What is ailing this nation is within this nation; what is ailing Igbo land is within Igbo land; and what is ailing the Mbaise community is within Mbaise. urges Nigerians to act now for tomorrow’s sake As long as our minds are not free, our thoughts would be limited and actions misdirected. In a country where a senator’s monthly salary is a professor’s annual salary, clearly our major crisis is linked to immoral power, power without love and the fear of God he spoke on power without the fear of God silence cannot be golden, because the army of the hopeless is swelling while self worth is diminishing. Professor Osita Ogbu’s perspectives on the Important considerations that should be made towards solving the priority issues to ensure macroeconomic stability and inclusive growth Inequality is pervasive and it undermines the trust, solidarity and mutuality upon which responsible citizenship is based. Therefore, emphasis should be placed on inclusive growth and equality. People need to elect an honest and effective government. According to Lee Kuan Yew in his book, From Third World to First: The Singapore Story: 1965-2000, public order, economic growth and social progress are not natural. They are the outcomes of an honest and effective government that the people must elect. Politics is superior to the economy. Fixing politics is a major step to fixing the economy, because major economic decisions are made by politicians. To achieve macroeconomic stability, politics must be fixed. Nigeria has no consistency in national planning. Professor Osita Ogbu talk On how to make the macroeconomic climate more investment and business-friendly, and how to deal with constraints for growth in key sectors Without raising productivity, the country cannot grow; without growth, there is no income, and without income, the country cannot reduce poverty. The Ministry of Industry requires attention to be raised to the level of the Ministry of Agriculture. Reduced productivity is a critical problem in the country. Food insecurity is a result of low productivity. It is important to have large and mechanised farms built around Institutions of knowledge such as a University of Agriculture. NESG should have a presence at the sub-national level. States should be transformed into engines of prosperity and centres for policy innovations. No country has successfully made a transition from poverty without a robust manufacturing industry. Therefore, efforts should be made to increase the productivity/contribution of the manufacturing sector from the current 10-12% to about 40%. The boards that govern the Special Economic Zones should understand their roles. There is a need for a committed leader who understands the urgent need for transformation. It is a combination of factors, quite frankly. One is global economy, two is domestic issues. Globally we have not recovered from COVID-19 pandemic, and so most countries are still suffering from that shock. That shock, as you know, is transmitted globally to every country and no country is immune. So, that is one aspect. Two, it has to do with decisions and choices we make even domestically. These choices impact on inflation, impact on employment, impact on debt and debt service. So, decisions and choices that we make are also part and parcel of the outcome of any economy. In an interview The truth of the matter is that we don’t adhere to planning; we don’t say we will do this and do it. We have not had that adherence and so I see, sometimes, a disjuncture between the budget and the planning. We also have not had a long-term view of what the economy of this country should be, so you find that we are doing stop-and-go in some instances. Also sometimes, we are in a hurry to score a political point and that is why you see politicians going into certain projects; you see us borrowing to execute because it gives them some political mileage. Those things are useful but in the end you will find out that that approach also has hiccups. In an interview External links Category:Economists from Nigeria Category:Politicians from Nigeria Category:1957 births Category:Living people