We don’t intend to grow debt aggressively – Adeosun

The Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, has assured that the federal government does not intend to grow its debt portfolio aggressively.

Adeosun gave the assurance in response to concerns raised by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) at the ongoing spring meeting in Washington yesterday.

Chairman of Media Trust Ltd, Malam Kabiru Yusuf, alongside veteran journalist and former publisher of Newswatch Magazine, Mr Ray Ekpu among other prominent journalists, have advised new graduands of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ) to prepare themselves for the harsh reality of the profession.

Yusuf, who was the Chairman of the fifth

She said the concerns expressed are legitimate as they are high at 55 per cent GDP.

According to her, the country is at less than 20 per cent, so Nigeria are not actually one of the countries they are expressing concerns about, however, we will continue to manage our debts very responsibly.

Speaking on the World Bank’s offer in helping countries monitor their debts, Adeosun said: “I don’t Convocation Ceremony of the NIJ in Lagos, said if the new graduands understand what it takes to be a journalist, they would learn how to “laugh a little, and cry a lot.”

The Chairman of Media Trust Ltd, who has 34 years of journalism experience, counseled the graduands to first develop a passion for the profession or be bold to opt out. “I was not lucky to attend a journalism school like you. When I was a student at the Ahmadu Bello university (ABU) think it’s necessary to have the World Bank monitor our debts.”

The minister pointed out that Nigeria has a debt management office with best practices and puts out data regularly on debt levels.

Besides, she said there is an economic management team monitoring capital projects and have also set up a monitoring in ministry of budget and national planning separate from that of finance.

Media Trust Chairman to graduates: Laugh a little, weep a lot for journalism

Zaria at the time, there was no journalism as a course, so I tried to take advantage of Liberal Education, History, Political Science, Economics, and languages which I thought will lead me to what I love, which is journalism.”

Similarly, Ekpu, who also stood in to represent the Chairman of the Governing Council, Malam Ismaila Isa, said the graduands must not underrate the power of new technology and the competition it has brought into journalism.