By Chuks Collins, Awka.
The Fiscal and Monetary policies of the nation must be rejigged to ensure the anticipated outcome materialize.
This was the counsel of the immediate past Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige.
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 wastages and leakages in government businesses and make administrators cut their coat according to their cloth, different from what it is presently.
Ngige, a former governor of Anambra State 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 infact the only ever elected Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). Senator from Anambra, South East and former Eastern region at the formative stage of APC.
Speaking to a select group of Senior journalists during his New Year message to the nation, at his Alor countryhome, Idemili South Council of Anambra State, Ngige disclosed that the country needs to show prudence in the management of her resources. It will also make deliberate policies to activate the manufacturing and productive sectors so as to back up Small Medium, Industries and Enterprises.
He noted that it’s only that will lead to quick and fast economic recovery and generate employment because the economy had been comatose and in the doldrums for too long.
According to him: “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 wastages and cut our coat according to our cloth and show prudence in the management of resources.
On his message and expectations in the year, he said “We want to wish our country economic recovery because the economy had been in the doldrums for too long, we need good quality life, prosperity in all respects and for our country to get back its rightful place as the giant of Africa with improved security for the citizens”, 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. He stated that some leaving the People’s Democratic Party,PDP, Labour Party and other fringe parties and vice versa ahead of the coming 2027 general elections.
More alignments and realignments he said will happen especially during and after the party primaries of prior to the elections.
He said: “More realignments will come ahead of the 2027 general elections. Just wait for nominations to begin and you will see you will see a lot of defections, re- defections , especially during party primaries.
“A lot of people will be disappointed will be disappointed with their parties today and pot back. They will do potting. 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” thigzcannot 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 councillorship nor House of Assembly seat.
” This is because they don’t believe in grassroots politics, but 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 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 also win tomorrow. That’s why they can’t win elections here.
Even as he spoke, the former Minister retrospectively expressed some measure of nostalgia about his days in Anambra government house and his battle with God fathers’ 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 development of today. My administration proved that a selfless leader can prudently work with the little resources at his disposal and make remarkable within a short period of time.
“The roads I built over 20 years ago in the state are still strong and durable. I am a road Master because I have done road construction and management as the Director, Out door Medical Services, Federal Ministry of Health before becoming Governor .
“At the time, we also engaged in intra institutions” road maintenance and construction, measuring and making sure that the contractor handling the project met the specifications given to him with timely completion.
“So that experience was handy when I was Governor and we gave Anambra quality roads all of which are highly durable till today.
” I decentralised the state University at Uli and created campuses at Igbariam and Alor, but my successor developed the Igbariam campus. I was the first Governor to hand over schools to the Missionaries and started the construction of pedestrian bridges across major highways in Awka, the state capital.
“I started with 95 Secondary and Primary Schools, and Governor Obi built on that. We gave the schools running or recurrent expenditures silently but some people came after us and did theirs with bill boards”, he said.
