Recession won’t end soon, says Obi

A former governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, on Tuesday, said the economic recession in the country would last longer than expected.

He stated this at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, while inaugurating a building donated to the radio station of the Department of Mass Communication, NAU, by the institution’s Dean of Social Sciences, Prof. Chinyere Okunna.

Obi said, “I laugh when I hear people say the recession will soon end. This is not true. A critical analysis of the 2017 budget will show you that the recession will not end soon.”

The governor said it was foolhardy for anybody to think that the recession would end soon.

“But there is hope. The hope is for us to change our spending system. Government should cut down the cost of running government.

“If you see any government spending extravagantly, you shout and nothing will happen to you because it is your money that is being spent. That is one of the ways to tackle this recession,” Obi stated.

The former governor described Okunna as a very hardworking academic who had contributed greatly in the training of professionals in the field of mass communication.

He said Okunna, who was a commissioner during his (Obi’s) eight-year tenure as governor of the state, demonstrated great managerial ability.

Speaking, Okunna said she donated the building to support the institution that had become a part of her.

She said, “I came into this university over 20 years ago and as we are winding down our stay here, I felt that I should leave a legacy here.

“We could not have done this without the support of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Joseph Ahaneku, and the members of the management of the university, who gave us the necessary support.”