President Buhari secretly appoints Economic Adviser

Contrary to the belief in some quarters, the Presidency has disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari has a Special Adviser on Economic Matters and that the present administration has an economic management team in place.

In view of the difficult economic terrain Nigeria presently finds itself, some citizens and economic experts have prevailed on the President to appoint an Economic Adviser as well as constitute his economic team.

But speaking with Daily Trust on Friday night, the Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Mr Laolu Akande revealed that Buhari’s economic team had been in place since the inauguration of the Federal Executive Council, FEC, last November.

He disclosed that Buhari had last month appointed Dr. Oluyemi Dipeolu as his Special Adviser on Economic Matters, adding that the economic adviser used to be a director in the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, UNECA.

He explained that the economic management team is headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and listed key members of the team to include: the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma; the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun; the Minister of Trade, Industry and Investment, Okechukwu Enelamah.

Listing other members to include Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Godwin Emefiele; and the Director-General of the Debt Management Office, DMO, Akande revealed that Dipeolu has been working with the economic management team.

He stressed that the composition of the team was not static as Agriculture Minister Audu Ogbe and Information Minister Lai Mohammed as well as relevant permanent secretaries have also been involved.

The Vice President’s aide revealed that the team had since been meeting and engaging representatives of the private sector but that unlike what obtained in the past, Buhari’s administration did not include anybody from the private sector in the economic management team.