…As Nigerian engineers have benefited from border closure – NSE boss***
Kano State Government has restated its commitment to partner with Shandong Province of People’s Republic of China in boosting commercial activities in the state.
Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje gave the assurance on Friday night at a dinner with Business Community and high level delegation from Shandong Province, People’s Republic of China, held at the Afficent Event Center, Kano.
The governor was represented at the occasion by his Deputy, Dr. Nasiru Gawuna.
According to Ganduje, considering the vast commercial opportunities and endowments which the state is blessed with, government will not hesitate on its effort to encourage investors to come and invest.
“We have many areas of investment opportunities that our investors can properly harnessed for mutual investment benefits which include leather industry, Textile industry, Agro Allied industry and Solid minerals among others,” he explained.
Ganduje said that he personally led a delegation to Shandong Province during which he signed an MoU on behalf of the Kano State Government with the Shandong Province on mutual investment relationship.
According to him, it is part of the visit agenda that the high level delegation from Shandon Province would meet with business community in Kano to discuss issues on commerce and investment for the benefit of the two sister states.
“Our gathering here is for the delegation from Shandong Province to meet with the representatives of Kano business community operating in the private sector.
“They are very resilient and full of determination to partner with any willing investor either in Greenfield or Brownfield investiment.
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“In trying to actualize this relationship between Shandong Province and the State investors, the present administration will contunue to lend its support and encouragement to see that our noble dream on investiment comes to reality,” he added.
Ganduje also expressed optimism that the visit would be translated into reality by concretizing all investment offerings and negotiations.
Earlier, the leader of the delegation who is also the President of Shandong Provincial Committee, Mr Fu Zhifang who spoke through an interpreter, expressed appreciation to the people of Kano for the great hospitality accorded to them during the visit.
“We have been to some historical sites of the ancient city of Kano and some commercial centers; from what we have seen, there are a lot of endowments on investments which will soon be established between the sister states,” he said.
Zhifang assured the governor that their visit to Kano would give room for investment relationship between Shandong Province and the state.
According to him, the relationship would be beneficial to the present and future generations of the People’s Republic of China and Nigeria.
The delegation visited the Northster SME industrial cubicles at Sharada which is a ready-made cluster for any interested Chinese Company, the Emir’s Palace, Kofar Mata Dye pit and Gidan Dan Hausa, among others.
In the meantime, Mr Olusola Adesanoye, Branch Chairman, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Mowe, Ogun, on Friday said that engineers had benefitted more from government’s directive on border closure.
Adesanoye made this known in an interview on the sidelines of the inauguration of the Mowe branch as the 79th chapter of the NSE.
NAN reports that NSE led by its President, Mr Adekunle Mokuolu inaugurated the Mowe chapter as the 79th branch of the body.
The inauguration of the Mowe branch was held at the Redeemer’s College of Technology and Management, Redemption Camp, Mowe, Ogun State, while Mr Adesanoye was sworn in as the first chairman of the branch.
Adesanoye reflecting on the gains of the government’s recent policy on border closure, noted that the policy would engender more employment opportunities for the NSE members.
“For me, I am happy with the decision of the government to close the borders because the high influx of goods into the country is responsible for the closure of many industries.
“The influx of goods is a burden to our economy and has not made the country self-sufficient with what we have the capacity to produce as a nation.
“Nigeria needs to be self-sufficient economically and technically and we should encourage local manufacturers.
“We have the manpower to fulfill the needs in Nigeria. So the closure of borders has benefitted us immensely.
“We need our small scale industries to be running because engineers are trained to be employers of labour,’’ he said.
The Vice Chairman, NSE, Mowe branch, Mr Kola Afolabi, said that Nigeria’s industrialisation should start with a revolution in power generation.
“If we want to consider real industrialisation, then, there must be a revolution in the power sector. The hydro and thermal should be mixed with renewable energy.
“Nigeria needs to invest in researches on renewable energy, especially in capacity building. It will be good to mix our thermal and hydro energy with renewable energy, ” he said.
The new executives of the branch are: Mr Olusola Adesanoye, Chairman, Mr Kole Afolabi, Vice Chairman; Mr Outlay Adedayo, General Secretary; Mr Ayodeji Afolabi, Technical Secretary and Mr Oluseyi Odunuga, Public Relations Officer.
