I Won't Resign, By Okonjo-Iweala

Abuja — The Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala,.said yesterday, that she was not contemplating resignation and will
concentrate on her job of managing the nation's economy for the common good of Nigerians.

The G-7 governors who are opposed to the Alhaji Bamanga Tukur-led People's Democratic Party, PDP, had on Tuesday called for the resignation of the minister, considered as one of the most valuable members of President
Goodluck Jonathan's cabinet.
Dr. Okonjo-Iweala made her stand on the issue known at a briefing where she gave a score card on the performance of the economy.
The minister who was asked by newsmen whether or not she would resign as demanded by the governors had this to say: "That doesn't arise. I am not here for those kind of issues. I am Minister of Finance for the country. I am working with President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and I will just do my job.
"This (briefing) is not to address that kind of issue. All of you are Finance correspondents and I call you from time to time to have this kind of press conference and I share with you what is happening in the economy. That is what I am doing. So I am not answering that and as you see me here do I look
any close to resignation? I dey kampe."
"We should stop talking about political issues here. The economy should be managed for the good of Nigerians. That is why we are here. Let's face facts of the economy. I have given you facts about the economy. I have given you roads built; agric jobs created, increase in production, you can go and check for yourself so that we can focus on facts."
The minister urged the governors to be objective and consistent in their evaluation of the economy, as according to her, the fact that many of them had gone and still going to the capital market to raise funds through bond issue was a demonstration of their confidence in the nation's economy.
"The confidence in the economy has been aptly demonstrated and I want to thank the governors many of them who have demonstrated their confidence in the management of this economy and the performance of this economy. Their confidence has been demonstrated by their applications and actions to float bonds.
"Nine states have recently floated bonds, with more applications pending. It is a total mark of confidence that states are able to float bonds. If you don't have confidence in an economy, you can't float bonds. You can only float
bonds in an economy that works. If you float a bond in an economy that is not doing well, nobody will touch it. There will be no takers. If the economy is not doing well, who will invest in those bonds? That cannot happen anywhere in the world. The governors have demonstrated confidence in the economy. It is just that they should be consistent in what they say.
"It is to the credit of this administration that the Federal Government has created a yield curve, meaning we have created the ability within the economy
and the confidence within the economy for both our corporate and the states to borrow from the capital market", she said. Dr Okonjo-Iweala appealed to the governors to ensure that the funds raised from the capital market were managed in such a prudent manner as to ensure value for money in the provision of infrastructure in such states.
The minister stated that there had been shortfall in revenue owing to drop in oil production but that things being managed in a prudent manner and as such in spite of the shortfalls the government had continued to pay its bills because
of the prudent management by the administration.