The Nigerian Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) has harped on the need for the president-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, and his incoming government to continue the liberalisation, promotion of free enterprise and privatisation of state-owned businesses, insisting these will check wastage in public sector and fast-track the development of the economy.
NECA is also asking the yet to be formed government of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to consult widely with the organised private sector (OPS) and should always seek their inputs in the formulation and execution of policies and programmes especially bordering on the economy.
Larry Ettah, president of NECA, who gave the charge in a statement, is of the opinion that such consultation will allow the president-elect and his government to feel the pulse of business and develop better strategies to deal with the issue of cost of doing business, job creation and economic growth.
The employers’ body which hailed the electoral victory of Buhari, describing it as “a an affirmation of our people to live in unity and peace”, acknowledged that the tasks ahead for the retired army general were enormous but not insurmountable.
Ettah added that security, economy and employment must be accorded priority in the agenda of the new government. He called on the president-elect to ensure the creation of an enabling environment that will position the private sector as the engine of growth. He further enjoined the president-elect to carry the organised private sector along through dialogue and consultation on the formulation and execution of key economic policies.
NECA is the voice of business and a platform for private sector employers to interact with the government, labour, communities and other relevant institutions in and outside Nigeria for the purpose of promoting harmonious business environment that engenders productivity and prosperity for the country.
