President Buhari asked us to focus on Northern Nigeria only - World Bank




The President of the World Bank Group, Jim Yong Kim, said on Thursday that the bank had concentrated on the northern region of Nigeria in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s request.


Kim and the Managing Director, International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, who spoke at separate press conferences in Washington DC, United States, also advised Buhari to invest in things that would enhance economic growth.

Kim said, “You know, in my very first meeting with President Buhari he said specifically that he would like us to shift our focus to the northern region of Nigeria and we’ve done that. Now, it has been very difficult. The work there has been very difficult.

“I think Nigeria, of course, has suffered from the dropping oil prices. I think things are just now getting better. But the conversation we need to have with Nigeria, I think, is in many ways related to the theme that I brought to the table just this past week, which is investment in human capital. The percentage of the Gross Domestic Product that Nigeria spends on healthcare is less than one percent.”

He added, “Despite that, there is so much turbulence in the northern part of the country, and there is the hit that was taken from the drop in the oil prices. Nigeria has to think ahead and invest in its people. Investing in the things that will allow Nigeria to be a thriving, rapidly growing economy in the future is what the country has to focus on right now.”

Kim also said, “Focusing on the northern part of Nigeria, we hope that as commodity prices stabilise and oil prices come back up, the economy will grow a bit more. But very, very much important is the need to focus on what the drivers of growth in the future will be.”

According to the World Bank boss, the bank will invest in human capital in other parts of Africa in order to prepare the continent for the next phase of growth.

Lagarde, in her remarks, said Sub-Saharan African countries, including Nigeria, had posted suboptimal growth in recent times.

The growth figures, she said, were far too small considering the huge demographic potential of Nigeria and other countries in the region.

As a result, she said the IMF would be engaging ministers of finance and central bank governors from the region attending the annual World Bank and IMF meetings on how they could boost and stabilise economic growth.

Lagarde said, “The Sub-Saharan Africa is one region of the world where growth is suboptimal. Those countries grow at an average growth of 2.5 per cent. That is too low for the demographic expansion of the region.”

The IMF managing director said emerging and developing economies must invest more in their economies through infrastructural spending, strengthening safety nets, allowing women more access to the labour market and carrying structural reforms.
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  1. So the world bank has just confirmed what the southEasterners have been saying all this while. Focus on the North? Borrow money from the future earning of Nigeria to Focus on Northern Nigeria, Its ok o.

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  2. Focus on the north a!one. ......Good. No smoke without fire. There is God to deliver the poor from those too strong for them. Time will tell.

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  3. I strongly believe there must be a big mistake in this article.

    Can it be true that President Buhari asked the World Bank Group to focus on the Northern part of the country only?

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    1. When a comment is quouted with “double apostrophe” it means they are the exact word of the speaker or original author without any paraphrasing or change of word by anyone. So here proves we have a bigot as President of Nigeria.

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  4. Am not surprised at all, PMB is tribalistic and religious bigot. A born hater who has no trace of leadership in his blood but accidentally happened to be there

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  5. Muktari zali will never comment on such issues. Haters of southern part of nigeria 🇳🇬. What will you expect from a tribalistic leader like Buhari

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  6. Almost all Nigerian politicians have been working in denial - "focus on Northern region of Nigeria". Tinubu, did you hear that? Fashola, did you hear that? Amaechi, did you hear that? Oshiomhole, did you hear that? Archbishop Onaiyekan, just recently you added your selective stupidity and foolishness to the stack of denial in your so-called sermon. Onaiyekan, did you hear what the world bank boss said? God is watching all of your dishonesty!

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  7. Are you guys surprised? Haven't you predicted from all his appointment so far? America can never cover lies and deceit as we do in Nigeria

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  8. Muhammadu 'Mujahedeen' Buhari, thank U for giving the gullible 'Change!'

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  9. All Hail Femi Fani Kayode.......
    You told us, we refuse to listen...
    you warned us but we refuse to heed
    Now our eyes have seen and our hears have heard.....
    how i wish we listen that this president is of no Good

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    1. Fani Kayode is a liar too just like the others. They are too selfish to see the picture. Each time any government in power does not favour him, you hear him shouting yntil they pump money into his account, and he keeps quite.

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  10. Lol! this is good for the gullible Easterners and southners who failed to understand the handwriting on the wall, Buhari is an idiot, and he will remain like that until his death, we are all going to perish in this country since our useless lawmakers and other politicians fail to conduct referendum

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  11. The man president Buhari has never hidden his hatred and disdain for the south. His concept of Nigeria has from the very on set, been limited to Northern Nigeria. If in doubt, please go back and read what he said to old man Lam Adeshina when there was a clash between Fulani cattle rearers and some farmers in the south west. Listen to what he said about the killing of members of the dreaded Boko Haram by our gallant soldiers in the time of Jonathan. How he openly lamented that their youths were being slaughtered in droves, when the dreaded Niger Delta militants were flown in Presidential jet to Abuja for negotiations! His heavily skewed appointments seals it. What Mr president does not understand is that he is inflicting irreparable damages on the very foundation of our country by his sectional bias. I actually lay the blame of our collective suffering on Jagaba Tinubu who single handedly sold this dummy to us!

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  12. Buhari is accidental President of Nigeria. He is very surprised to be elected as a President that he can't hide his love to them who made the accident happened.

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  13. The article should be re-examined because PMB can not say so.

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    1. I think u are stupid and foolish. Or are you blind or deaf???

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  14. We need no soothsayer to tell us that Buhari is tribilistic with our nasty experience under his military regime where he was busy sending only southerners to jail with no just cause. I knew leopards don't change colour overnight.
    Buhari cannot change overnite.

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