PUBLIC LECTURES

PREAMBLE

At the onset, let me express my deep gratitude for the honour extended to me, by the President and Council of the Nigerian Economic Society, to deliver its 7th Annual Public Lecture, on the very topical theme of National Development Planning, Markets and Development in Nigeria. The timeliness and importance of this topic for the Nigerian Nation and Public can hardly be overemphasized, judging by the very high national expectations for a more prosperous, equitable, stable, and peaceful future, after the peaceful successful transition from one democratically elected Government to another.

The current particular interest in the topic of National Development Planning, is no doubt fuelled by the announcement by the Federal Government, that there will be a return to National Development Planning. This decision was warmly applauded by the 50th Anniversary Conference of the Nigerian Economic Society, held in this very venue in October 2007.

The presumption in the announcement on the return to National Development Planning is that somehow, National Development Planning had stopped, or was not satisfactory in the more recent past. There is therefore a need to clarify what we actually mean by National Development Planning, so that future National Development Planning can take off on an auspicious note. The reality, is that there are different kinds of National Development plans. . . .