Enelamah seeks collaboration with private sector to stave off economic recession

Minister of Industry, Trade & Investment, Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah, has called for partnership between the public sector and private to stave off economic recession in the country.

Enelemah, who spoke at the 2016 Corporate Governance Conference organised in Lagos by the Society for Corporate Governance Nigeria (SCGN), with the theme, “Competing in an Era of Economic Changes: Corporate Governance and Structural Reforms”, said government is willing and hungry to work together with all Nigerians including private sectors to get results.

According to him, the private sector has a lot of work to do in adapting and keeping up with the Change that the government is preaching and entrenching.

“You are of course all aware of the commitment of the President and Vice President to fighting corruption and ensuring that public funds are deployed for the benefit of the public, and not of a privileged or connected few. I’m sure that one of the things that immediately strikes you from the recent revelations in the media about the looting of public funds is the extent to which the private sector can sometimes be complicit in the abuse of the public trust.

“I think many of us tend to underestimate the extent to which the public sector is actually dependent on the private sector. “There is the assumption that government is a self-sufficient monopoly sitting at the “commanding heights” – but what would government do without banks and financial institutions, without suppliers, without contractors, and so on.

“What this dependence means is that if governments want to bend rules, it is hardly likely to happen without the active collaboration and complicity of the private sector”. he added.

The minister, who also identified corruption, injustice, irresponsibility and an obsessive craving for self-aggrandisement as reasons for the systemic collapse called for collaboration to ensure rebuilding of every institution and structures that should uphold the country.

According to him, there is no doubt, that whenever any nation embraces a code of governance that embraces righteousness and has zero tolerance for the vices of corruption, injustice and all such behaviour, the fortunes of such a nation will rise amongst the committee of Nations.

“Our nation unfortunately over the years has fallen deeper and deeper into the abyss of un righteousness and has seen the collapse of virtually every facet of life, from homes to societies, corporate organisations, governments at every level and “religious” bodies.

The minister, however, said that the present government has its work clearly cut out – to rescue the Nigerian nation from total collapse.

This vision of the President, he said, can only effectively rescue the Nigerian nation when we all take responsibility for fighting for the soul of our nation.

“The clarion call is for “Champions of Righteousness” to arise and be counted for a time like this in our nation. There is no time better than now. We dithered and faltered during the past 55 years over planting any trees, but the time to do the planting is now.”

This is why we must build partnerships. Partnerships of men and women bound by a righteousness that is authentic. Partnerships of people in government and people in the private sector bound by an unflinching will to do what is right for the Nigerian nation.

“The Federal Ministry of Industries, Trade and Investment is at the very centre of rebuilding the Nigerian economy. We simply regard it as the Ministry of enabling environment for the Economy.