Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, has said tough federal economic reforms are necessary prescriptions for fixing Nigeria’s ailing economy long-term, though bitter pills for citizens now.
He disclosed this to State House correspondents after he met with President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday night at the Presidential Villa.
Specifically commenting on the federal government’s removal of fuel subsidies, Mbah said he understood the measure has increased hardships for many households.
He also declared that the state is safe for investors to bring in their investments.
The governor also scored President Tinubu’s economic policies high, saying they are good for foreign direct investments (FDI).
Mbah stressed that the unified foreign exchange rates policy was rubbing off positively on Enugu’s drive for FDI.
On why he was at the seat of power, 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.”
Mbah also said he is seeking closer collaboration with the federal government on infrastructure projects aimed at transforming Enugu into a major transport and logistics hub in the country.
He said, “There are a couple of things that we have promised our people to do 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 licences, 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 enjoin that we continue to collaborate.”
Also speaking on the issue of insecurity in Enugu State and the entire Southeast, the governor emphasised that Enugu was ready for investment, saying the issue of sit-at-home and the attendant insecurity were already sufficiently dealt with.
“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 enhanced the 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,” Mbah said .
