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From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
An Aba, Abia State-based industrialist, Chief Emma Obi has condemned the constant foreign investors drive by President Bola Tinubu and state governors, saying, it is shameful that leaders of a nation like Nigeria will be moving around the globe begging people to come and invest in the country.
Obi, the immediate past president of Aba Industrialists Association (AIA), said instead of the nation’s leaders to spend taxpayers money to move about begging foreign businessmen to come and invest in the country, what they should do was to put in place the things that would attracted foreign investors to the country.
The Industrialist added that a country without stability in its currency was like a disorganized soceity where nothing meaningful happens.
“No investor goes to a country to put down his money based on invitation. There must be something on ground to attract him.
“The attraction should be putting adequate security in place, provision of uninterrupted power supply, good and accessible roads and stability in exchange rate.
“The truth remains that these key factors, if any is lacking in a country, an honest investor will not move into that country no matter how he was persuaded.”
Obi said he has observed that since Tinubu was inaugurated as president, he has been moving around the world seeking for investors, the same thing with state governors.
The industrialist described this as laughable, stressing that no investor will attempt to invest in a foreign country based on emotion, as it takes a lot of resources and energy to invest in another country.
“If we want to be objective, we should know that all the foreign companies in Nigeria, including the indigenous ones are winding down because of lack of power supply and other challenges.”
Obi observed that so many Nigerians have money more than the so called foreign investors, but they could not put such money down if the enabling environment was not there.
“Nigerians living abroad are afraid to come home as a result of insecurity; many of them have not come home for the past five years and you of foreigner coming to invest.
“So many Nigerians have money more than the foreigners you are asking to come and invest, but they can’t do anything because of the times we are in.”
Obi advised the leaders of Nigeria to put the country in order first and then foreign investors would come on their own.
