By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria’s President, Mr Muhammadu Buhari, has reiterated the determination of his administration to make business environment very conducive for the private sector. He also said efforts would be made to stop importation of basic items and create job opportunities for unemployed citizens across the country.
The President stated this when he received members of the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) led by its acting President, Mr Taiwo Adeniyi, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Wednesday, July 17.
“Nigeria is a blessed country with abundant resources. We have all it takes locally to meet our most basic needs,” said Mr Buhari, noting that with the appropriate policies in place, his administration will bring the jobs earlier lost to foreign countries to Nigeria.
According to him, government has implemented various policies and programs to support job creation in Agriculture, Mining and other key sectors, with investments in infrastructure projects especially, Transportation and Power sectors.
“There is no doubt, the implementation of such policies will not be hitch free. As you have pointed out, there are challenges in some areas that need to be addressed. I want to assure you that we are looking into these and other matters to ensure we have a sustainable platform for businesses to succeed,” he said.
The President, however, observed that the journey toward achieving this feat was a long one that requires patience, understanding and perseverance and called on the support of the association.
“I would therefore encourage you to continue to engage Government by providing honest and constructive feedback. Together, we can build a Nigeria that we will all be proud of.”, he added.
Mr Buhari also praised the Private Sector for its contribution to inclusive growth by creating an enabling environment for businesses to thrive over the past four years of his administration.
In his remarks, Adeniyi revealed that, for over 60 years, NECA had been the voice of business on diverse issues aimed at improving the business environment for enterprises to survive and flourish in the country.
He commended the President for signing Executive Orders 001, 003 and 007, which he said had improved the performance of the manufacturing sector and patronage of made-in-Nigeria products.
Mr Adeniyi also lauded Buhari for his support to the Real Sector through the Central Bank of Nigeria and for his refusal to sign the African Continental Free Trade Agreement until the concerns of stakeholders were addressed as well as for assenting to the new National Minimum Wage Bill.
Dipo Olowookere