World Bank ranking: PDP, critics silent, APC reacts

While the APC is commending the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration for the latest World Bank ranking, which chalked up Nigeria as No. 15 in the Ease of Doing Business global rating, the opposition PDP has yet to speak.

The opposition, along with the loudest of public analysts,  has always condemned the admiistration of the nations economy.

But a statement by APC National Publicity Secretary, Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu, in Abuja on Thursday, said that Nigeria’s new global ranking on ease of doing Business was commendable.

Nigeria is now ranked 131 globally on the Ease of Doing Business, moving up by 15 places from its previous 2019 spot and also named top 10 most improved economy in the world, in terms of doing business.

Issa-Onilu said that economic development was a major election promise made by APC in 2015.

“With Nigeria’s latest ranking, it is evident that the Buhari-led administration is building a globally competitive economy and consolidating on our status as Africa’s biggest economy.

“Since the launch of the National Action Plan on Ease of Doing Business, the Buhari administration has aggressively implemented economic reforms.

“And progressively reduced the challenges faced by Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) when getting credit, paying taxes, among others, by removing critical bottlenecks and bureaucratic constraints to doing business in Nigeria,” he said.

According to him, success stories abound with the likes of Reston Tedheke, ex-Niger Delta militant turned successful farmer in Nasarawa State and other home-grown entrepreneurs.
These, he said, were testimonies to the Buhari administration’s successful economic development efforts.

“The party also welcomes bilateral agreements between Buhari and Russian President, Vladimir Putin at the ongoing Russia-Africa Summit, to strengthen Nigeria-Russia multi-faceted relations, particularly on completion of abandoned projects initiated by both countries.

“This is starting new infrastructure projects and expanding trade and investment, security and military cooperation.

“Contrary to uninformed and embarrassingly myopic editorial by a newspaper indicating that foreign trips by Buhari are tantamount to abandoning governance.

“This trip like the previous ones has proven to be very beneficial to our country,” he said.