The National Planning
Commission, NPC, has said the Transformation Agenda does not belong to any
political party.
The Head of Information of NPC,
Salisu Badamasi, told the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday that the
Transformation Agenda was an aspect of the Vision 20:2020.
The Transformation Agenda was
popularly identified with the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, administration of
immediate past President Goodluck Jonathan.
Mr. Badamasi, however, said
that when Mr. Jonathan came into office, he identified the Vision 20:2020 and
focused on them.
He said that the four areas of
focus of the Transformation Agenda were governance, human capital development,
infrastructure and real sector.
According to him, President
Muhammadu Buhari’s administration will also continue to implement the master
plan for Nigeria’s economic development.
He added that “the Agenda is
based on and draws its inspiration from the Vision 20:2020 and has three
National Implementation Plan (NIP) arrangements.
“The First NIP, which was from
2010 to 2013, had been implemented and reviewed by the commission and
stakeholders.
“It was aimed at bridging the
infrastructure gap in the country and optimise the sources of economic growth
to increase productivity and competitiveness.
“It focused on knowledge-based
economy to deepen the technology base of the country, improve governance,
security, law and order.
“Also, it fostered accelerated,
sustainable social and economic development in a competitive business
environment.”
The NPC spokesman further
explained that the second plan, which started in 2014, would be ending in 2017,
while the third phase of the Plan would be between 2018 and 2020.
Mr. Badamasi said that the NIP
was generally based on a set of priority policies and programmes, which when
implemented, would transform the Nigerian economy to meet the future needs of
the Nigerian people.
He also explained that the Plan
captured all the development agenda of the country, including the Millennium
Development Goals, MDGs.
The official pointed out that
the Vision 20:2020 defined and articulated the collective aspirations of the
Nigerian people to become one of the top 20 economies in the world by the year
2020.
“At the strategic level, it
seeks to focus on, mobilise and coordinate the optimal application of Nigeria’s
human and financial resources.
“It focuses on human and
financial resources toward the singular goal of providing accelerated human
security, economic growth and social development in the country.
“While opinions may vary
regarding Nigeria’s ability to achieve these goals, most statistical indicators
remain positive that vision 20:2020 is achievable.’’
The NPC is the agency of the
Federal Government saddled with the responsibility of developing the Vision
20:2020. The commission has the statutory responsibility of coordinating social
and economic development policies of the country.
(NAN)
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