Communication has been one of our weakest links as govt — Finance Minister

The Minister of Finance and National Planning, Dr. Zainab Ahmed identifies communication as one of the weakest links of President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.

The minister said this while speaking at the 28th Nigerian Economic Summit (NES#28) held at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja on Monday, November 14, 2022.

Speaking during a panel discussion titled ‘The Nigeria we want’, Ahmed said to rebuild the social contract between the government and the citizens, the government must be able to communicate effectively.

She said, “the citizens must understand what the government is trying to do, and also understand what is a need for them, for them to be able to contribute their own civic responsibility. So communication has been one of the weakest links that we’ve had as government.”

In a bid to communicate in a way that the citizens would better understand and appreciate, the minister said the Federal Government has started producing infographics to make it easier for people to see graphically the data on how much is collected in each category of major revenue streams.

She added that the FG has also started working with civil society organizations to encourage them to use that data to educate the citizens so that people are more informed and begin to carry out their civic responsibilities.

“Whatever we do, if we don’t educate the citizens, we’re not investing right. Because investment in education is an economic investment. Investment in health is an economic investment. There has been data that has shown how much returns they get when you invest, and data is important”, she said.

The 28th edition of the Nigerian Economic Summit which has the theme: “2023 and Beyond: Priorities for Shared Prosperity” is a two-day event organised by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) to facilitate discussions about Nigeria's development imperatives ahead of the 2023 general elections.