- Asks FG To Jettison Deleterious Programmes, Policies Of IMF, World Bank
- Says There Is No Country Where Gov’t Don’t Give Subsidies
- Warns FG Against Reliance On Economic Predictions, Policies Of IMF, World Bank
- Urges Nigeria To Join BRICS, Sell Crude Oil In Naira
Foremost Human Rights lawyer, Femi Falana has fired some salvos at Bretton wood institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, describing their policies as ‘deleterious’.
The Matrix reports that the Bretton Wood institutions have asked the FG in a recently released ‘Post Financing Assessment (PFA)’ report to completely phase out petrol and electricity subsidies in the country.
“The IMF said, “Fuel and electricity subsidies are costly, do not reach those that most need government support, and should be phased out completely.”
Reacting to this, Falana, while speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today programe on Tuesday urged the Nigerian government to discard the “deleterious policies” of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) like asking the government to increase electricity tariff and remove whatever was remained of the petrol subsidy despite that the political climate in the country was not conducive.
“There is no society in the world where the government does not subsidise one product or the other even in the most advanced capitalist societies. And that is why Nigerians must begin to ask the government to discard and jettison the deleterious programmes and policies of the IMF and the World Bank,” Falana on
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“The only economic body recognised by the constitution to advise the President is the National Economic Council headed by the Vice President and populated by the state governors, Governor of the Central Bank and the Minister of Finance.”
He lamented that the government has abdicated its responsibility to the IMF and the World Bank, claiming the Bretton Woods bodies were set up by imperialists.
“It is an ideological battle; these institutions were set up by imperialism principally to destroy the economies of developing nations while they turn their eyes when the other governments are giving subsidies to their people.
“The economies of the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany and others are not collapsing despite the fact that they give subsidies,” he said.
The senior lawyer noted that he would take steps after the expiration of the deadline set up by the courts for the government to set up prices of commodities.
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Reacting to the continued freefall of the naira, Falana urged the Federal Government of Nigeria to join the BRICS economic bloc, and sell the Nigerian crude to foreigners in naira and not in the United States’ currency.
“There are countries in the world today insisting that we are not going to be tied to the American dollar and those countries are in the BRICS – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa,” he said.
Last August, Vice President Kashim Shettima was at the 15th BRICS Summit in South Africa and he said Nigeria didn’t apply to join the economic bloc considered to be a counterweight to western powers like the United States.
However, Falana believed it was time for Nigeria to join the economic bloc to salvage the naira.
“Others are joining them; Saudi Arabia has joined them. UAE, Ethiopia, Egypt and all that. We cannot be more Catholic than the Pope. If friends of the West are joining BRICS, why are we not there? So that we can trade in naira,” he noted.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria also said the government is dancing around the problem, saying that the circulars by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) won’t solve the forex challenges.
“If I had my way, my own radical policy would be that: I would sell Nigerian gas and crude oil in naira. Let those who want to buy our products look for naira. That is how to promote your currency.
“But this business of everybody looking for dollars even to pay school fees, rent houses, and sell houses. It doesn’t happen unless you dollarize your economy. These are the issues the government would have to address to come out of these economic doldrums,” he said.
