SPECIAL Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity Femi Adesina, on Tuesday, announced the appointment of Doyin Salami as President Muhammadu Buhari’s chief economic adviser.
This is coming months after The ICIR’s report on the controversial Office of the Chief Economic Adviser (OCEAP), which got annual budgetary allocations and releases for years without an appointee.
This newspaper was able to validate the amount released to the OCEAP through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation.
Questions were asked as to who had been spending the money allocated to the office over the years.
The ICIR reached out to at least seven presidential aides in an attempt to establish the truth.
The presidency, however, has remained mute since then until today’s announcement of an appointee, who is now to manage affairs of the controversial office.
“He is Dr. Doyin Salami, up till now Chairman of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC),” Adesina disclosed in a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja.
“A 1989 doctorate degree graduate in Economics of Queen Mary College, University of London, Doyin Salami, 59, is Managing Director and Head Markets Practice at KAINOS Edge Consulting Limited, and member of the Adjunct Faculty at the Lagos Business School (LBS), Pan-Atlantic University, where he recently attained the rank of Senior Fellow/Associate Professor.”
Adesina revealed that the chief economic adviser to the president would work towards addressing issues surrounding the local economy and advise the president on international economic matters.
He is also expected to brief Buhari on economic trends, policies and help promote the nation’s economy.
“The CEAP is expected to address all issues on the domestic economy and present views on them to the President; closely monitor national and international developments, trends and develop appropriate policy responses; develop and recommend to the President national economic policies to foster macro-economic stability, promote growth, create jobs, and eradicate poverty, among others,” Adesina added.
Meanwhile, the appointment has continued to generate reactions on social media.
Olugbenga heads the Investigations Desk at The ICIR. Do you have a scoop? Shoot him an email at [email protected]. Twitter Handle: @OluAdanikin