Former Minister of Finance and National Planning, Dr Shamsudeen Usman, says unless Nigeria gets it right politically, the econom...
Former Minister of Finance and National Planning, Dr Shamsudeen Usman, says unless Nigeria gets it right politically, the economic problems facing the country cannot be solved.
Presenting a review on 'Public Policy and Agent Interest', a book which he wrote, the former Minister emphasized the significance of politics in all aspects human endeavors.
This was contained in a statement released by the Public Affairs Directorate,
Office of the Vice-Chancellor, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria on Wednesday 26th February, 2025.
He spoke at a symposium organised by the Department of Political Science and International Studies, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
Usman is also a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
He said he wrote the book so that it will serve as a policy document that academics and practitioners will refer to in proffering solutions to the socioeconomic problems affecting the country.
The book, according to him, is an account of his experience on policies in both public and private sectors.
Dr Usman, an alumnus of Ahmadu Bello University, thanked the University Management and the Department of Political Science and International Studies for the opportunity given to him to present the book.
The former Minister presented an autographed copy to the Vice-Chancellor and donated four other copies to the University.
In a remark, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Kabiru Bala, thanked the guest lecturer for choosing his alma mater to present the review of the book.
Prof. Bala disclosed that the defunct Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences of the University in those days, used to set the stage for national discourse.
The Vice-Chancellor stated that there were calls by experts and public office holders on the need for ABU to come up with solutions to critical national challenges on economy, politics, and security, and others which the Faculty responded to those calls.
He commended the Department of Political Science and International and Faculty of Social Sciences for igniting national debate and wished them well in subsequent discourse.
Earlier in an address, the Head, Department of Political Science and International Studies, Dr. Muhammad Lawal Tafida, described the guest lecturer as a public servant who combines both theory and practice when it comes to the formulation, articulation, implementation and evaluation of monetary and fiscal policies of the Nigerian State.
Dr. Tafida disclosed that the symposium was awaited by both staff and students of the University.
The HOD said while it is axiomatic to define public policy as what government decides to do or not to do, there is a fundamental curiosity which leads asking about the 'what, why, when and how' in the ecology of public policy.
Dr. Tafida maintained that public policy is everybody's business given the fact that there are beneficiaries and at the same time there are victims.
The symposium was attended by professors, senior academics, teaching staff, non-teaching staff and students of the Department of Political Science and International Studies and Faculty of Social Sciences.
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