Osinbajo: Why Nigeria Moved up in World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index
Ndubuisi Francis
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has stated that Nigeria moved up 24 places in the recent World Bank Ease of Doing Business ranking due to a combination of factors, which include “good people with the right skills, collaboration, implementation strategies, especially removing discretion, attention to detail and consistently doing things properly.”
He noted that although improved ranking by the bank is an evidence of productive collaboration anchored by the federal government ease of doing business initiative, the major challenge was to ensure that the ranking remains “in a constantly vertical sway, and constantly moving up and consolidating and remaining where we are.”
The vice president, who spoke at the Ease of Doing Business Stakeholders’ Engagement Forum at the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) in Abuja yesterday, congratulated the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) team, and the reform leaders for the milestone, “in the journey to makeNigeria one of the most attractive destinations for business in the world.”
He said: “You have heard the details of the planning and implementation, and I must say it’s quite impressive. But the subtext is for me perhaps more importantly, and it is about good people with the right skills, collaboration, implementation strategies especially removing discretion, attention to detail and consistently doing things properly.
“I think the subtext is really what we should watch because we have moved 24 steps now, but what does it take to remain in a constantly vertical sway? It is to constantly moving up and consolidating and remaining where we are.
“That’s what I refer to as the subtext; the good people with skills and collaboration, implementation strategy especially ensuring we are able to remove discretion. I will talk about a few of those items I have mentioned beginning with good people. We’ve had the good fortune of working with some of the very best of Nigerians in the public sector and many of them are from the private sector.
“Everybody is from the private sector, so you come into government and you do your bit.
Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Okey Enelamah; Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, Yetunde Sadiku of NIPC; Segun Awolowo of NEPC and the reform leaders who you’ve just listened to are smart, extremely talented people, self-motivated professionals. These are extremely good people, and they have the right skills.”
The vice president pointed out that “the real heroes were the agencies trying to move the sometimes monstrous bureaucracies that they have to work with. Immigration is one, the Comptroller General, Babandede, is here; the CAC which was formally headed by Bello Mahmoud, and now Lady Azinge.”