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From Okwe Obi, Abuja
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of COK Best Limited, Vera Afam-Aguiyi, has identified lack of electricity, security and tax waivers are part of the reasons businesses are grumbling in the country.
Afam-Aguiyi, who stated this at the weekend shortly after inaugurating the COK Mall and Lounge, in Abuja, said business outfit was part of her little contributions to create jobs and reduce social unrest.
She said: “Government can come in so many ways. If you notice, even with the fact that we try to go green and bring solar, we are still battling energy or power supply.
“Government can make it affordable to small scale businesses like this by giving them a different tariff that will make people to build this kind of business.
“If you encourage people by giving a discounted tariff to businesses, businesses will thrive, investors will come from outside the country to invest in things like this.
“Also, security is very key. If government provides security it will be very easy for people to come and invest. What scares people when you mention Nigeria or mention Kubwa or mention anywhere even the city center, they will say how can I come and push my money into a place that is not secured?”
Speaking on her hospital business, she said:”This edifice you are seeing was conceived some years back, but actual implementation started July 2022. Maybe we say one half years.
“We were motivated because we want to create employment, we want to touch lives, we want to touch the less privilege, especially considering the location.
“This is Kubwa. And most people like to invest mostly in the city center. But one thing you should know about Abuja is that, the real people that need to be touched are not staying in those city centers.
“They stay at these satellite towns and the suburbs. And people invest more in the city center. Meanwhile, 90% of people go to work at the city center retire back home here in Kubwa and other satellite towns.
“We have a multi dimensional two floor supermarket, we have an event hall that can accommodate close to 1000 people.
“Then to make it better. We brought the gymnasium fitness center that can take up to 500 people as well. And this is something that people around this area have been lacking.
“The entire facility is automated because the lift here can take 1300 kilograms that means it can take more than 13 people then the house is a greenhouse.
“The major thing about this building is not that it’s beautiful, the major thing is that it is compliant with the international environmental standard.
“It is a green building, powered by solar. We have other sources of energy, but 80% of our power requirement comes from the solar and that is what is not common even in the whole of Nigeria, people just want to build, you build to standard when you consider the environment.”
