President Goodluck Jonathan says he will
not celebrate the rebasing of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product which
has seen Nigeria overtake South Africa as Africa’s biggest economy.
Justifying his resolve not to....
celebrate
what he describes as the new “accurate picture” of the Nigerian economy,
the President notes that “too many” Nigerians are living in poverty.
Writing on his Facebook page on Monday,
Jonathan adds that the feat achieved after the rebasing of the nation’s
GDP has yet to bring about “positive impact.”
According to Jonathan, his definition of
the transformation which he promised Nigerians when he assumed office as
President is still a “work-in-progress.”
Jonathan said, “Yesterday (Sunday) our
Gross Domestic Product was rebased to give an accurate picture of where
we are as a nation. I am glad to report to you that Nigeria is
officially the largest economy in Africa with a Gross Domestic Product
of $510bn which also places us as the 26th largest economy in the world.
“This feat is a collective achievement of
all Nigerians particularly when you take into account the fact that our
Per Capita Income had increased by over 60 per cent from $1091 in 2009
to $1700 in 2013, prior to the rebasing.
“While this calls for celebration, I
personally cannot celebrate until all Nigerians can feel the positive
impact of our growth. There are still too many of our citizens living in
poverty. Regardless of our present challenges, our place as a nation at
the table of greatness is assured.”
Jonathan’s comment comes on the heels of the World Bank listing of Nigeria among the world’s extremely poor countries.
“The fact is that two-thirds of the
world’s extreme poor are concentrated in just five countries: India,
China, Nigeria, Bangladesh and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
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....thank God this came from the Horse's mouth!
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