This was just as he said clamours in some quarters for the reopening of borders were unnecessary as Nigerians should be preoccupied with how to produce what Nigerians consume rather than dependence on foreign-produced goods.

The lawmaker representing Ado/Irepodun-Ifelodun Local Government Areas of Ekiti State in the National Assembly spoke during a chat with journalists in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State capital on Tuesday.

He said, “Re-opening the borders will not solve the economic crisis the nation has found itself, but it will rather cripple the country. I am not an advocate or a supporter of opening of our borders for foreign goods to be brought into our country.

“Let us endure whatever situation we find ourselves in. We should be able to produce what we eat and if there are things we cannot produce, let us call on the experts from those countries to come and put us through so that we can do them ourselves and we pay those experts off rather than allowing all manners of junks finding their way into our country.”

The federal lawmaker urged state governments to look into programmes that would improve the people’s living standards, saying, “If the federal and state governments can empower the average Nigerian through incentives that will boost massive production at the local level, the economy of Nigeria will be back in no distant time.”

On the rising prices of foodstuffs despite the naira gaining value against the dollar, Fatoba said it was the duty of the government to regulate prices of goods and services in the market at a time like this.

“Appropriate government agencies should be up and doing in ensuring the prices of goods and services are regulated. It is only in Nigeria that whenever the prices of goods and services go up, down becomes difficult unless it’s forced.

“That is why even though Naira is gaining, prices of food keep skyrocketing. But if Nigeria can regulate the prices then we can have a stable and unified price of these things in the market,” he said.

Fatoba added, “If the manufacturing sector is encouraged, it will ease the burden on an average Nigerian. The government should invest massively in agriculture, let us subsidize equipment and staple crops more. We can give out tractors, chemicals, crops and other equipment needed that will enhance farmers’ productivity.

“We should also encourage our artisans to produce those things we need and once we can have them in large quantities, the majority of the challenges facing our country will be solved.

“We also have to plug the loopholes in the economy, money should not just disappear without traces. All these should be accurately accounted for so that it stays in the economy and further stabilizes the economy.”

Fatoba, who hailed the ongoing flyover project in Ekiti State capital, said, “The bridge is necessary to ease movement in the affected area. If you are familiar with the area where the bridge is being constructed, you will know that there is always a bottleneck there when it comes to the movement of goods and services.

“It will add more value to the economy of the state, and by the time the airport is in operation, definitely it is going to enhance the movement of goods and services within that axis. Those coming and going out of the capital will have easy access to neighbouring states and communities. So, to me, it’s a good initiative.”

This was contained in  a statement made available by the media aide to the Vice President, Lolu Akande.

According to the statement, the VP said this as he received the All Progressives Congress governors on Tuesday in his office at the Presidential Villa on a felicitation visit as he recovered from surgery done last month.

While welcoming the governors, Osinbajo expressed his appreciation for the visit and the good wishes.

The VP also commended the expertise of Nigerian doctors and the availability of cutting-edge medical facilities existing in the country. But he regretted that doctors were restrained by regulations from advertising and as a result, many people were unaware of the level of quality medical services available locally.

During the brief interaction that followed at the meeting, important national issues were also raised especially regarding the economy and the ASUU strike.

The Vice President and the governors were said to have agreed to engage these and other pressing issues further with a view to bringing urgent resolution for the benefit of the Nigerian people.

“We all need to work together on these critical issues. We need to think through things, and we need to do it fast,” Osinbajo was quoted to have said.

Buhari said the three priorities of the present administration, security, economy and corruption, have received significant attention, with measurable results, following his vision of making Nigeria more peaceful, prosperous and reliable, among nations.

At the Passing Out Parade of the Regular Course 4/2016 Cadets of the Nigeria Police Academy, Wudil, the President noted that policies and actions of the government made an impact on the tripod vision, despite challenges, assuring that more will still be done to safeguard lives and property, enhance livelihood and ensure probity.

He said, “As you are all aware, this administration came to office determined to make an impact in three main areas: security, building a sustainable economy and fight against corruption. We can say that recent positive developments in these areas have shown that despite the challenges on ground, we can see a general improvement in all three areas.

“In the area of corruption, as you are all aware, I am determined to ensure that we do not have a repeat of what has gone on in previous administrations and we have taken a strong stand against pervasive corruption.

“This administration has also focused on security by repositioning our national security to perform their duties effectively. We have equally embarked on some crucial changes in their funding, structure, and modes of operation. With the launching/empowerment of the Police Trust Fund, this administration swung into action after taking the assessment of needs for possible interventions in the provision of logistics and infrastructural needs of the Force,’’ he said.

He added, “This administration has signed into law the new Police Act to ensure an improvement in the welfare of service delivery to meet best international practices. As I said earlier, with the take-off of The Police Trust Fund, there has been an upgrade of infrastructure such as the construction of new barracks across the country, renovation of existing ones, construction of medical facilities, as well as procurement of modern operational vehicles.”

According to the President, the Boko Haram insurgency, the Indigenous People of Biafra, Eastern Security Network, and banditry in some parts of the country over time, which posed a potent threat to the country, had been significantly degraded and relative normalcy had returned to most towns and villages.

He said more efforts would go into ensuring that normalcy returns to all the areas suffering banditry.

“I must specially commend the efforts and resilience of members of the Nigeria Police Force and sister agencies for the giant strides recorded so far in the fight against the prevailing security challenges.

“Across the North Central and North West of the country, we have made progress with regards to stemming the tide of communal violence, farmer-herdsmen clashes, cattle rustling, and kidnapping.

“We will continue to demonstrate zero tolerance for crime and criminality. Those who take laws into their hands, who bear arms illegally and who seek to profit from a climate of fear and insecurity will be decisively dealt with.

“That remains our promise to the people of Nigeria, who elected us to keep them safe and secured. The peace and stability of our dear country will continue to be of utmost importance. You, the Police are our points men and you must rise to the occasion, ” the President told the graduating cadets.

The National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, in the Nigerian Gross Domestic Product Report (Q1 2022) released this Monday.

The statement reads: “Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 3.11% (year-on-year) in real terms in the first quarter of 2022, showing a sustained positive growth for six consecutive quarters since the recession witnessed in 2020 when negative growth rates were recorded in quarter two and three of 2020.

“The first quarter 2022 growth rate further represents an improvement in economic performance. The observed trend since Q4 2020 is an indication of a gradual economic stability.

“The Q1 2022 growth rate was higher than the 0.51% growth rate recorded in Q1 2021 by 2.60% points and lower than 3.98% recorded in Q4 2021 by 0.88% points. Nevertheless, quarter-on-quarter, real GDP grew at -14.66% in Q1 2022 compared to Q4 2021, reflecting a lower economic activity than the preceding quarter.

In the quarter under review, aggregate GDP stood at N45,317,823.33 million in nominal terms.

“This performance is higher when compared to the first quarter of 2021 which recorded aggregate GDP of N40,014,482.74 million, indicating a year-on-year nominal growth rate of 13.25%. The nominal GDP growth rate in Q1 2022 was higher relative to the 12.25% growth recorded in the first quarter of 2021 and higher compared to the 13.11% growth recorded in the preceding quarter.”