By Henry Uche, Lagos
The Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) launched the “Book of States” in Abuja in a hybrid session on Monday. NIPC Executive Secretary Yewande Sadiku said the book is a rich document for local and foreign investors to explore.
She urged state governors to work closely with one another to explore the inherent potentials in their states, saying ‘a win for any state is a win for all, we want Nigeria to be investors hub.’
Sadiku reaffirmed the Commission’s readiness to achieve its mandate given the requisite resources, adding that the task of repositioning Nigeria back to its booming track record remains everyone’s concern, urging political and economic leaders to be at the vanguard by deploying every neccssary machinery to achieve the national goal.
‘The task to resuscitate Nigeria is onerous and involves everyone from our various sectors but the resource controllers at the helm of affairs must as a matter of responsibility take the lead proactively and ensure that actions neccssary to achieve corporate goals, national growth and development are taken pronto. We can’t afford to fail Nigerians who gave us the mandate to lead them aright. As the world makes frantic efforts to keep the head of their citizens above the water, we must not relent in doing our bid. Citizens have no reason to experience this excruciating economic condition, we have all it takes to have comfortable life,’ she stressed.
On his part, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, urged state governors to take steps to make their states the investors’ choice in Africa. He said this while delivering a keynote at the launch.
The minister assured NIPC of the ministry’s support to drive investment in Nigeria, adding that the “Book Of States” was designed for Ssates to explore and take advantage of their comparative advantages and develop their states.
‘I assure NIPC of the ministry’s guidance and support to effectively support states to promote, attract and manage domestic and foreign investments. I urge the states and stakeholders to take advantage of the initiatives which are targeted at making the country a destination of choice for investors and making all Nigerian states investor ready and investor friendly,’ the minister stated.
‘We all must collectively working to ensure that Nigeria is properly positioned to provide first-hand information on the abundant opportunities and advantages in our nation for investors to explore. These actions will only help us to attract the right investments to Nigeria and improve on our productivity as a nation, create jobs for our people and revenue generation for our country,’ he noted.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi, represented by the Forum’s DG, Asishana Okauru, called for inter-state cooperation as well as national and sub-national synergies of federal and states’ investments agencies to attract capital inflow and create jobs for citizens and revamp the economy. He urged his colleagues to work with relevant federal government agencies for cross fertilisation of ideas aimed at harnessing local resources inherent at state levels.
He added that Ekiti State is already on the pathway to resuscitating its economy through Public-Private Partnership (PPP). He urged governors to pay attention to ease of doing business and ensure they keep every campaign promise as that would boost citizens’ trust and confidence in government.
He pledged to provide technical support and peer learning opportunities to states who are yet to establish investments promotion agencies and ease of doing business steering committees. ‘We must improve coordination accross various organs and agencies of government and ensure better cohesion between fiscal and monetary policies and have them all signing from the same hymn sheet,’ he said.