By Thompson Yamput
Media Trust Group, owners of Daily Trust, Trust TV and Trust Radio has appointed Mr Aliyu Ahmed and nine others as members of Daily Trust’s Board of Economists.
Ahmed, a former Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Finance and Special Duties, is member of the board composed of seasoned academics and highly accomplished professionals in the field of economics.
A statement issued by Ahmed I. Shekarau, Chief Executive Officer of the Media Trust Group, said that the reconstituted Board will be inaugurated on Saturday, Aug. 30, at the Corporate Headquarters of the multimedia company in Abuja.
The board is expected to provide robust insights and forecasts through periodic analyses of national and global economic trends that help shape decision-making, especially by national and sub-national governments in Nigeria.
Ahmed (NPOM, OON), before his appointment, has served as Director of the International Economic Relations Department of the finance ministry, having earlier served as a Senior Advisor to the Executive Director responsible for Angola, Nigeria and South Africa at the World Bank Headquarters in Washington DC, USA.
He has also sat on the Boards of Africa Export Import Bank, Cairo, Egypt; OPEC Fund for International Development, Vienna, Austria; Central Bank of Nigeria; Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited; Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria; and Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI).
The reconstituted board is to be chaired by Dr. Shehu Yahaya (OON), pioneer Chairman of the Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) and erstwhile member of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council. Dr. Vincent Nwanma, an award-winning journalist and financial sector analyst will serve as the Secretary of the Board.
Other board members are Prof. Binta Tijjani Jibril, Prof. Aliyu Sanusi Rafindadi, Prof. Saada Abba Abdullahi, Prof. Muhammed Mutakka Usman, Dr. Rislanudeen Muhammad, Dr. Mahmud Hassan and Mr. Mukhtar Mujahid Shamwil.
The Board, according to the statement, is expected to, among others, meet every three months to review global and national economic trends and provide insights on various subject areas of public interest.
“Such interventions are made public in communiqués with a view to shaping public policy at various levels of government, as well as in the private sector.
“As credible, well-versed experts, the board members are also to regularly provide informed perspectives on recurring economic matters and their implications for publication and broadcast across the company’s multimedia platforms.
“The board is also occasionally convened to conduct research, advise on policies, and help interpret the economic implications of decisions and happenings in the economic sphere. Findings of such research are made public, ” the statement read.
The appointment of the board members is said to be in recognition of their expertise and distinguished contributions to the field of economics, as well as their various ingenious initiatives, which have positively impacted Nigeria’s economic landscape.
“We strongly believe that their membership will significantly enhance our company’s mission and vision for a better Nigeria, and the African continent”, it read.
