•Targets new cargo terminal, completion of Enugu airport’s int’l wing
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah, has scored President Bola Tinubu’s economic policies high, saying they are good for foreign direct investments (FDI).
He equally declared that Enugu State is safe for investors to bring in their investments.
Mbah stressed that the unified foreign exchange rates policy was rubbing off positively on Enugu’s drive for the FDI, assuring that his administration was pushing for the construction of the cargo terminal and completion of the international wing of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, through collaborations with the federal government.
He stated this while fielding questions from the State House Correspondents after meeting with President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Tuesday evening.
He maintained that even though several of the Federal Government’s economic initiatives, like the removal of fuel subsidies, were difficult for the populace right now, they were necessary measures for the country’s ailing economy, which would ultimately substantially help the populace.
On the purpose of his visit, Mbah said: “It is essentially to commend the president because a lot of things that he is doing at the national level are also rubbing off well on us at the state level; policies like the unification of the foreign exchange rate. What that simply means is that you are going to have a lot of FDI coming in, and we are also going to benefit from that.
“As you may have also noticed, we are doing a lot, trying to attract investors to Enugu State. And the fact that we now have the ease of investors bringing in their money and also being able to repatriate it as a result of the unification of the foreign exchange rates would largely rub off positively on Enugu State.”
On the importance of collaboration between Enugu State and the Federal Government, he said: “There is a couple of things that we have promised our people in Enugu State, which require that we collaborate closely with the federal government in order to achieve them.
“Enugu is largely the capital of Igboland. So, we want to build our cargo terminal. We also want to ensure that the international wing of our airport is operational. The idea is to engage with the federal government to ensure that we get all the required permits and licenses, and make sure that we have an enhanced logistics hub to be able to attract the sort of investments we need. Therefore, I have essentially come to felicitate the president and state that we will continue to collaborate.”
Regarding the matter of insecurity in the Southeast and Enugu State, Mbah emphasised that Enugu was prepared for investment, stating that the problem of stay-at-home and the ensuing insecurity had already been adequately addressed.
“The sit-at-home thing is gone. We no longer have a sit-at-home in Enugu State, and I dare say in the South East. In our state, we have workers go to work on Monday and the schools are open on Monday. Business and economic activities are back.
So, what we are dealing with now is to erase that sad memory from our history.
“Therefore, we have relatively enhanced security situation in the zone and Enugu State, and we are calling on those who want to invest in the zone to please come in. Enugu State is open for business,” he assured.