The Regional Coordinator, Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Mr Samson Idowu, has tasked the Plateau State Committee on Export Promotion (SCEP) to earnestly work to enhance the state’s export potentials and Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
Idowu made the call during the last quarter meeting of the SCEP which held on Wednesday in Jos.
The Coordinator implored members of the committee to resist complacency, noting that the fate of Plateau’s economic growth rests in their hands.
“We need to ask ourselves the honest questions on how effectively as a committee we have been promoting the non-oil sector of the state?
“Are we achieving the main objective of boosting the sector in order to make Plateau an export hub for the country?
“Recall that in 2022, over 1000 participants were trained through development programmes on good agricultural practices.
“The year no doubt had been full of moderate activities with a total of 7,223 participants from the state trained in 15 orogrammes on various agricultural products especially handling products on global best practices.
“You will agree with me that the aforementioned is a far cry of what the NEPC, the SCEP, the state and local governments are supposed to be delivering for the growth of the non oil sector and industrial growth of the State.
“History will not forgive us if we fail to do the needful to transform the state to an export hub.
“I hope and pray we will to rise to the occasion and make it a reality in our time. Let us put our imprints on the sands of time, we can do it” he said.
Similarly, Mr Musa Sule, the state’s Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, urged attendees at meeting to go beyond roundtable discussions and seek to effect the right change in the economy of the state.
“I sincerely want to urge you all as a team to go beyond such quarterly meetings and seek ways to effect the changes that our state’s economy needs.
“Indeed, posterity will remind us that we were members of this team at a point and had the chance to effect tangible changes to the benefit of our state and it’s people.
“I want to call on the team to be more proactive and swing into action immediately to ensure that we move the state forward in this sector,” he said. (NAN)
