Senate President to meet with IMF boss today

The Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki will today, Wednesday, January 6, 2015, meet with the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde.

This was revealed to Leadership Newspapers, by Saraki’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu.

Olaniyonu  said the meeting will focus on Nigeria’s economy.

He also said “the falling oil prices at the international market has negatively impacted the nation’s oil revenue, external reserve and increased pressure on the Naira at the foreign exchange market.

“The meeting of the Senate leadership with the IMF chief will be coming after a similar exchange Lagarde had with President Muhammadu Buhari and other managers of the national economy.”

The IMF boss met with President Buhari in a closed door session, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

After the meeting with Mr. President, Lagarde said “Let me make it clear that I am not here (in Nigeria) nor is my team in this country to negotiate a loan with conditionality. We are not into programme negotiations and frankly at this point in time, given the determination and resilience displayed by the President and his team, I don’t see why an IMF programme will be needed.

“So, of course, discipline is going to be needed; of course, implementation is going to be key for the objectives and the ambition to serve the country well in order for it to be actually sustainable.”

Read: IMF boss says she did not come to offer Nigeria any loan

She also offered to help Nigeria track stolen funds, restructure the country’s tax system and block revenue leakages.

The IMF boss is currently on a four-day working visit to Nigeria.

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