The need has been stressed for Nigeria’s Fiscal and Monetary policies to be rejigged to ensure the anticipated outcomes materialise.
The immediate past Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige gave the advice in a chat with newsmen at his Alor country home, Idemili South Council of Anambra State,
The former governor of Anambra State noted that for Nigeria to move forward in 2026 and beyond, a sound Fiscal and Monetary policies that will curtail wastage and leakages in government businesses and make administrators cut their coat, according to their cloth, different from what it is presently.
Ngige, who recently was a guest of the Economic Financial Crimes Commission from where he drove straight to Aso Rock for top meeting with President Bola Tinubu, alongside other key founding members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) however declined delving into the details of the meeting.
Tracing the history of the APC, especially in the South East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, he described himself as “a bonafide founding member, elder and major stakeholder of the All Progressives Congress, APC , and the only elected Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Senator ever, from Anambra, South East and former Eastern region at the formative stage of APC.
Ngige pointed out that the country needs to show prudence in the management of her resources, as well as make deliberate policies to activate the manufacturing and productive sectors so as to back up Small Medium, Industries and Enterprises.
According to him, that is the only sure way to quick and fast economic recovery and employment generation, as the economy had been comatose and in the doldrums for too long.
“In this 2026, the country needs good fiscal and monetary policies to for us to really move forward.
“Again, We need to curtail or forestall wastage and cut our coat according to our cloth and show prudence in the management of resources,” he said.
On the issue of political alignments and realignments going on presently by many politicians, the former Minister admitted that such was expected and normal, expecting that more alignments and realignments will happen especially during and after the party primaries prior to the elections.
“A lot of people will be disappointed with their parties today and port back. They will do porting. It has been there, so it’s not new.” he said, adding that some politicians move from one party to the other where they think they could rig elections without working hard for victory especially in Anambra.
However, he said, “Things cannot work that way in Anambra because the state’s politics is very progressive, pragmatic and do not rewarding indolence.”
That, the former Governor of Anambra said was the fate that befell the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, where politicians from other parties came to hijack its structures and leadership without working for the development and growth of the party’s victory at the polls.
“I brought APC to Anambra and the entire South East. We were operating, doing well. But at a time, some 90% of PDP members in the state infiltrated the party.
“Some were followers of Tony Nwoye who is now a Senator of the Federal Republic and Senator Andy Uba. They came to contest the party with me. We left the party for them to manage.
“But we found that they had not gotten up to 5,000 votes since they took over the party and won nothing – neither a councillorship nor a House of Assembly seat.
“This is because they don’t believe in grassroots politics, but in writing results. Anambra politics is very pragmatic and writing results or rigging elections is the most difficult thing to do.
“The Anambra electorate is enlightened and even better informed with superb knowledge of government and governance and can’t be ridiculed or deceived.
“So their politics is different from my ACN background where we went to the nook and cranny of the state and country to talk to people, convince them to buy into our programmes, what we can sincerely do for the people and they saw with us.
“That’s why they couldn’t win any election yesterday and today and can’t win tomorrow. That’s why they can’t win elections here,” Ngige said.
The former Minister nostalgically recalled his days in Anambra government house and his battle with Godfathers’ scheming to empty Anambra’s treasury without work.
“It is a long story that should be told another day”, he said, of the turbulent 34 months he held sway as Anambra State governor before the Election petition court burst the bubble in his hands.
“But the legacies I left behind are there. It was my administration that charted the path to Anambra’s development of today. My administration proved that a selfless leader can prudently work with the little resources at his disposal and make remarkable progress within a short period of time.”
