The European Union Delegation says Nigeria is a rich country which should not depend on aid from foreign donors.
Mr Michel Arion, the EU Ambassador and Head of Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, expressed the opinion in Abuja on Tuesday.
He told newsmen that any money given to Nigeria by the EU was “seed money”
Arion explained that aids given to Nigeria by the EU were to fund projects on a pilot scale while the Nigerian Government was expected to replicate them on a larger scale.
“Please note that our aid is strategically tailored to unlock Nigeria’s potential. Nigeria is not an aid-dependent economy, with aids constituting less than one per cent of its GDP.
“Therefore, when we fund projects on a pilot scale, governments at various levels can replicate them at a larger scale for wider reach and greater benefits.
“Nigeria is a rich country, but Nigerians are regrettably poor.
“To really develop the economy in a sustainable way, the core issue will be to redistribute social benefits through fiscal measures using taxation, and social measures using safety nets.
Source: Today Internet Newspaper
Mr Michel Arion, the EU Ambassador and Head of Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, expressed the opinion in Abuja on Tuesday.
He told newsmen that any money given to Nigeria by the EU was “seed money”
Arion explained that aids given to Nigeria by the EU were to fund projects on a pilot scale while the Nigerian Government was expected to replicate them on a larger scale.
“Please note that our aid is strategically tailored to unlock Nigeria’s potential. Nigeria is not an aid-dependent economy, with aids constituting less than one per cent of its GDP.
“Therefore, when we fund projects on a pilot scale, governments at various levels can replicate them at a larger scale for wider reach and greater benefits.
“Nigeria is a rich country, but Nigerians are regrettably poor.
“To really develop the economy in a sustainable way, the core issue will be to redistribute social benefits through fiscal measures using taxation, and social measures using safety nets.
Source: Today Internet Newspaper
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