Economic Indices Have Put Osun On Plane Of Development – Agboola
The National Coordinator of Peoples’ Welfare League (PWL), Mr. Abiodun Agboola, yesterday, said available economic indices in Osun State have clearly shown that the state has moved up the ladder of development.
He also stated that the recent classification of the state by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) as the seventh largest economy in Nigeria and the rating by Renaissance Capital, an international financial rating agency, were indications that the state was in the “first row of developed economies” in the country.
The NBS and Renaissance Capital had, in 2012, rated the economy of the state as the seventh largest and fastest growing in Nigeria, while they also rated it as the second best in the country in terms of Gross Domestic Products (GDP) after Lagos.
Agboola made the observation in Osogbo at a two-day economic summit entitled: Orisun Aje 2014: Crux of Economic Developmental Masterplan, which was put together by the league to critique the economic activities in the state and the radical development of the state under Governor Rauf Aregbesola. He said the summit would afford stakeholders drawn from different segments of the society, the opportunity to examine the state’s economy critically.
According to him, the useful indices emanating from the state were responsible for the decision of the league to do a thorough critique of the economy with a view to finding out the veracity of NBS’ rating as well as the impact of the economy on the people of the state.
In his speech, Governor Aregbesola said no Nigerian had any reason to be poor in view of the enormous resources available in the country.
He emphasised the importance of developmental economics, adding that his administration had performed excellently in this regard by impacting the people of the state through thoughtful programmes of his government.
He, however, decried the reduction in federal allocation to the state, noting that federal allocation accruable to the state had reduced by 40 per cent in recent times.
THE SUN