By Simon Akoje
Some financial experts have urged the Federal Government to adopt stable policies that will incentivise domestic production and address the foreign exchange demand responsible for the soaring inflation.
They said this in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Lagos.
A lecturer of Economics at Pan Atlantic University, Dr Austine Nwaeze, said the government should execute favourable polices that would spur more production.
“The authorities could implement fiscal and monetary tools that will support the growth of indigenous production firms.
“This will encourage local manufacturing companies to embrace backward integration and reduce the volume of imported commodities,” Nwaeze said.
He noted that the Federal Government must discontinue the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) ways and means in funding budget deficit.
“The CBN intervention is practically responsible for the increasing inflation rate in recent times,” Nwaeze said.
Also speaking, the Founder, Independent Sharehoolders Association of Nigeria, Mr Sunny Nwosu, said the government should address the rising foreign exchange demand fuelling inflation.
“In spite of the apex bank reforms in the foreign exchange market, many multinationals are still finding difficult to repatriate their funds which is detrimental to business and allowing currency speculators to thrive,” Nwosu said.
He also enjoined the Federal Government to increase the budget allocation of the agricultural sector to tackle the food induced inflation.
“Allocating about 10 per cent of the annual budget to modernise our agricutual practice will enhance food produce.
“Government could have schemes that absolve the excess so as to ensure competitive prices and encourage farmers to remain in business,” Nwosu added.
Also, the President, Standard Shareholders Association of Nigeria, Mr Godwin Anono, said the Federal Government should put in measures to check the impact of climate change on agricultural outputs.
Anono encourged the Federal Government to give more support to all partially built refineries to become operational.
“This will enable the country to become self reliance on refined petroleum products and conserve scarce foreign exchange.
“The nation’s inflation rate will begin to reduce with less importation,” Anono said.
NAN reports that Nigeria’s inflation rate surged to 27.33 per cent in October.
This showed an increase of 0.61 per cent when compared with 26.72 per cent recorded in September.
Major contributors to the increase in inflation were food and non-alcoholic beverages, housing, water, electricity gas and other fuel, clothing and footwear, transport, and furnishings and household equipment and maintenance. (NAN)
