Finance Ministry’s Perm. Sec., AGF brief Buhari on state of economy

Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance, Mrs Ana Daniel-Nwaobia, and Accountant-General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, on Monday briefed President Muhammadu Buhari on the state of the nation’s economy.

Addressing State House correspondents after the closed-door briefing, Daniel-Nwaobia said the briefing was to let the President have first-hand information about happening in the ministry and its agencies.

She said her ministry was working assiduously to ensure that all revenue leakages were blocked as instructed by President Buhari.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the President had earlier expressed that he looked forward to a prudent management of the finances of the country.

“What I will say is that, the briefing was to update Mr President’s office with what is happening.

“Though handing-over notes were presented, but discussing the notes and clarifying the issues in the handing-over notes is very, very important and that’s what we have done with the President.

“And, at this briefing at least, we will have a bit of insight into how he wants us to run the ministry in the interim,’’ the Permanent Secretary said.

Daniel-Nwaobia, who described permanent secretaries as the engine room of the Civil Service, dismissed the allegation that there was last-minute large scale looting in the federal ministries, departments and agencies.

Speaking also, Idris, said the 1.6 billion dollars in the Excess Crude Account would soon be shared between the Federal Government, State and Local Governments.