The Federal Government has assured Nigerians that recession would exit the country in the first quarter of 2021.

Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed gave the assurance at the ongoing 26th Nigerian Economic Summit organised by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group and the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget, and National Planning on Monday in Abuja, according to The Channels.

The Minister noted that the COVID-19 pandemic caused the current recession in Nigeria.

Ahmed said the current recession followed the pattern across the world where many countries had entered an economic recession due to the pandemic.

“Nigeria is not alone in this, but I will say that Nigeria has outperformed all of these economies in terms of the record of a negative growth,'' She stated.

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Nigeria had on Saturday slide into its second recession in five years.

Figures by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said Nigeria’s economy had contracted by -2.48%.

NBS had disclosed that the current recession was Nigeria’s worst in decades.

Also at the Economic Summit, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo made the emphasis that the government is committed to working in synergy with the private sector to foster equitable growth and underpin national development.

The 26th Nigerian Economic Summit focuses on building a partnership for resilience for Nigeria’s households, businesses, and the general economy.