A former Cross River State governor and presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Donald Duke, has faulted Nigeria’s foreign money administration coverage.
He argued that floating the naira with out strengthening native industries and home manufacturing is worsening the financial hardship going through Nigerians.
Duke, who spoke with journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, additionally blamed excessive rates of interest, rising gas prices and extreme authorities spending for fuelling inflation.
He warned that Nigeria’s dependence on imported items was undermining job creation and financial stability.
Duke argued that the federal government ought to decide an acceptable trade fee for the naira and implement insurance policies to attain and maintain it, relatively than permit the foreign money to depreciate with out addressing the structural weaknesses of the economic system.
“No country floats its currency. The currency is your economic worth. It is like floating your value. As a human being, what is your worth? Are you going to float your worth? You manage your worth. You manage your currency,” he mentioned.
Duke added that Nigeria should decide a sensible trade fee and develop the productive capability required to help it.
“You have to sit down down and decide what an trade fee must be. So, when you say a good trade fee for us could be 500, 600 naira to a greenback, positive, how will we obtain that?
“You want foreign exchange to help you import your requirements, however you will need to develop the native trade.
“Now, whenever you float the foreign money, you impoverish your individuals additional as a result of they’re not even creating their native trade and so, all people’s importing one factor or one other.
“That’s why I said if the naira becomes one naira to two dollars, everybody will clap. But how can you just keep on importing more?” he requested.
The former governor maintained that Nigeria ought to give attention to decreasing its dependence on international items by figuring out merchandise that may very well be manufactured regionally, thereby conserving international trade and creating employment alternatives.
According to him, nations intentionally pursue insurance policies to guard their financial pursuits and maintain their currencies, including that Nigeria ought to undertake an identical method by strengthening home manufacturing.
“You have a look at the foreign money and also you have a look at the worth you wish to maintain. Everybody does it. The Chinese do it. The Americans do it. They’re not going to permit their foreign money to fall.
“Then you have a look at what it’s that we should do to attain the worth that we predict we should be.
“So, what are the issues that we’re importing that we will do with out and ensure that they’re executed right here in Nigeria? That’s the best way we should be pondering.
“I mean, doing it in Nigeria, we’ll be creating jobs for our people. And if you’re creating jobs for our people, you’re creating economic stability for your people. As long as you continue importing, you’re creating jobs overseas,” he mentioned.
Duke additionally lamented what he described because the neglect of steadiness of commerce in financial coverage discussions, arguing that Nigeria should pay nearer consideration to the connection between its imports, exports and international funding.
“Nobody’s even speaking about steadiness of commerce anymore. Balance of commerce is: I purchase a lot from you, you purchase a lot from me. If I’ve nothing to provide you, you then spend money on me.
“So you balance what goes out to what comes in,” he mentioned.
On financial coverage, Duke criticised the Central Bank of Nigeria’s excessive rate of interest regime, arguing that the price of borrowing was discouraging funding and proscribing companies’ entry to funds for productive actions.
He mentioned he had mentioned the difficulty with the CBN governor, who, in accordance with him, defended excessive rates of interest as a measure to comprise inflation.
Duke, nonetheless, argued that the method didn’t adequately deal with the underlying drivers of rising costs, notably gas prices and transportation.
“I may also discuss in regards to the rate of interest regime. I’ve had this dialog with the governor of the Central Bank.
“They imagine that the rate of interest is so excessive as a result of they’re making an attempt to stem inflation.
“I mentioned, effectively, there’s a misalignment between financial and financial coverage. Monetary coverage has rates of interest and all that.
“But interest rates don’t cause inflation. The price of your fuel causes inflation. The high cost of your fuel causes inflation because everything moves through transportation,” he mentioned.
He added that prevailing rates of interest had made borrowing unattractive and more and more tough for companies to maintain.
“But right now, because of your interest rates, no one will borrow money today. They won’t give it because they know you can’t pay for it,” he mentioned.
The former governor additionally criticised what he described as extreme authorities expenditure, notably on imported items, arguing that public establishments ought to prioritise regionally manufactured merchandise.
“The second factor is the unbridled spending by the governments. If you go to authorities institutions, actually all the things is imported. Vehicles, all the things is imported.
“When you be taught to begin making these issues right here, and also you patronise your self, you don’t put strain on the trade charges as a result of they’re made regionally.
“And secondly, you’re creating jobs. But more importantly, you’re localising your expenditure, your growth,” he mentioned.
Duke maintained that directing authorities expenditure in the direction of home industries would assist cut back strain on international trade, stimulate native manufacturing and increase employment alternatives.
On political management, he argued that age shouldn’t be the first consideration in assessing the capability of political officeholders, stressing that competence and the standard of appointments have been extra vital.
“Age doesn’t affect your brain,” he mentioned.
He additionally expressed concern that political concerns have been more and more influencing authorities appointments on the expense of efficient governance.
“When a government sets up the cabinet, you see the number of politicians that are playing with it. A lot of the appointments are based on politics and not on governance,” he mentioned.
Duke additional expressed enthusiasm in regards to the area of presidential aspirants, saying he appeared ahead to debates that will permit candidates to elucidate their insurance policies and proposed options to Nigeria’s challenges.
He particularly talked about Adewole Adebayo of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Peter Obi of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), expressing hope that the presidential contest would characteristic substantive discussions on the nation’s future.
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