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The federal government started the execution of the sustainability measures confined in the Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP).

The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, affirmed this at a webinar prearranged by Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) 2020 Presidential Policy Dialogue over the weekend.

He revealed that the ESP developed with a stimulus package of N2.3 trillion to give a boost to local production, avert business failure and offer liquidity across various sectors, especially micro, small and medium enterprises MSMEs.

Osinbajo stated: “Nigeria, like all other countries, has been quite seriously impacted in various ways by the COVID-19 pandemic, either as households or businesses, and is clear that both the pandemic and its effects would remain for a while.”

“The priority of the Federal Government in response to the economic challenges posed by COVID-19 is essentially to ward off a deep recession and to save jobs and this we are hoping to do by a mixture of stimulus measures to support local businesses; the essence being to retain jobs and to ensure that we create the best possible circumstances for the most vulnerable in the society.”

“To this end, the federal government developed the ESP with a stimulus package of N2.3 trillion to give fillip to the economy across various sectors.

“The size of the stimulus is about 1.5 percent of national income or GDP. This is not as large as we would have liked it to be but it was the best we could do given existing fiscal and monetary constraints.”

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According to Osinbajo, ESP is replete with opportunities for MSMEs to expand their activities in manufacturing and local production and to participate in supply chain activities across various industrial and service sectors.

“It recognizes nonetheless that many businesses suffered serious losses during the lockdown that was put in place to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus.”