TO bring the ailing Nigerian economy back on track will require diligent work and time, the All Progressives Congress (APC) said at the weekend.
The party urged Nigerians to give the Federal Government the opportunity to straighten things out.
Its Deputy National Chairman (South West), Segun Oni, an engineer, who spoke in Abuja at the launch of a book titled: “Who says Government has no Business in Business?” written by Anthony Madagua, an engineer, urged Nigerians to be patient with the government in its efforts to turn around the economy.
Oni assured Nigerians that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration would bring the economy back on track with the 2016 budget.
The former governor of Ekiti State blamed the previous government for mismanaging the economy.
He said: “The economy is down not going down. It is down because it was badly managed; it was mismanaged by the previous government that went on a looting spree, debasing everything. It was almost as if it is a form of madness.
“Nigerians should not worry. Yes, we are impatient but the economy will be brought back. But it will require diligent work and time and we should give the government the opportunity to straighten things out.
“I will say we are a bit hasty; we are in a hurry. This government came in middle of last year. The budget in place for last year was prepared by the previous government. The government in place now is going to be operating its own budget very soon.
“What can be done outside budget lines and budget items government has done appreciably well, prosecuting the war against corruption and the war against Boko Haram.
“We should now wait to see it prosecute its own agenda via its budget. That has not started and I don’t think we should judge the government on the performance in a few months when the government is actually in place for four years.”
In his address, the author of the book called on government to create enabling environments for businesses to grow.
“The government must not only create the enabling environment, it must also take a role in businesses. There is no reason why government cannot make our refineries to work,” he said.