A member representing Ondo East/West
Federal Constituency, Ondo State at the House
of Reps, Hon Joseph Akinlaja, has outlined the
opportunities available for Nigerians in
Diaspora and the need for them to return home
to invest. He assured that the Federal Government will
soon redeem its $500 million promise to
release the Diaspora Bond. Akinlaja, who represented Hon. Abike Dabiri-
Erewa, Chairperson, House Committee on
Diaspora Affairs, made this known in United
Nations Headquarters, New York, at a two-day
Corporate Nigeria Stakeholders’ and Investors
Forum sponsored by Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State. “According to the World Bank, Nigeria is one of
the world’s fastest growing emerging
economies. No one needs to tell you what this
means – a billion investment opportunities lie
in various sectors, with a lot of these sectors
largely untapped – agriculture, information technology, medicine, mining, textiles,
electricity, energy- the list goes on. To be more empirical, there is an organisation
called the Nigerians in Diaspora Alumni
Network (NIDAN). NIDAN is an organisation that
consists of former Nigerians in Diaspora who
have returned home, and now own thriving
businesses.
President Goodluck Jonathan with First lady
Dame Patience Jonathan, with other aides
celebrating Nigeria’s victory in London
yesterday. Photo: State House. They lend support to one another, and I am
sure they will continue to capitalise on
investment and growth opportunities in the
Nigerian economy. Most of these successful
businesses are in medicine, IT tech firms,
entertainment industry, and several other professions,”the lawmaker said. “With respect to the Diaspora Bond, we know
the Federal Government has plans to issue a $
500 million bond by issuing a first tranche of $
100 million in 2013. This will be a major
milestone in the process of involving our
Nigerians in the Diaspora in the development of the Nigerian economy. “As said earlier, there are lots of opportunities
for development that these funds can be put
to. Also, of all the countries in Africa, Nigeria
received $21 billion in remittances from its
citizens abroad, putting us at number one in
Africa. This fact, along with the success of the
Nigeria’s $1 billion Eurobond in 2013 promises
to show that Diaspora bond will be a very viable
agent of investment and development in
Nigeria. Nigeria remains attractive investment
destinations for anyone, no matter the
challenge see face today as a nation. We have
the human and material resources in
abundance. You are part of the solution; let us
do all we can to make Nigeria the great country that we know it can be.” During the interactive session at the forum,
Akinlaja used the opportunity to thank Delta
State government for the laudable initiative
organized by the governor and his economic
team and said their counterpart Ondo State,
under the leadership of Governor Olusegun Mimiko, has also created an atmosphere where
investment can thrive favourably. Delta State Commissioner for Commerce and
Industry, Mr Kingsley Emu, who represented
Uduaghan, at the forum, said the state is not
just an investment destination. He disclosed
that Delta State has also created enabling
environment to allow investors get value for their money and also recoup their capital within
the framework of their revenue projection. In a keynote address delivered on behalf of the
governor at the event, titled “Harnessing
Investment Opportunities in Delta State”, Emu
said the “Delta Beyond Oil” initiative has
recorded many milestones in the overall
interest of the people of Delta, especially the less privileged. “Where we are now in terms of policy direction
is Delta Beyond Oil. What we are saying is that
when the oil wells eventually run dry what are
those things we should do with the revenue
from oil in the decades while the oil wells
lasted? How can we diversify our economy using our areas of comparative advantage? The
major ones are the micro, small and medium
scale enterprises (MSMEs). The success of the MSMEs underscores what
we have always believed; that is, Delta is a land
of limitless possibilities in terms of human
capital and natural resources,” the
commissioner said.
Federal Constituency, Ondo State at the House
of Reps, Hon Joseph Akinlaja, has outlined the
opportunities available for Nigerians in
Diaspora and the need for them to return home
to invest. He assured that the Federal Government will
soon redeem its $500 million promise to
release the Diaspora Bond. Akinlaja, who represented Hon. Abike Dabiri-
Erewa, Chairperson, House Committee on
Diaspora Affairs, made this known in United
Nations Headquarters, New York, at a two-day
Corporate Nigeria Stakeholders’ and Investors
Forum sponsored by Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State. “According to the World Bank, Nigeria is one of
the world’s fastest growing emerging
economies. No one needs to tell you what this
means – a billion investment opportunities lie
in various sectors, with a lot of these sectors
largely untapped – agriculture, information technology, medicine, mining, textiles,
electricity, energy- the list goes on. To be more empirical, there is an organisation
called the Nigerians in Diaspora Alumni
Network (NIDAN). NIDAN is an organisation that
consists of former Nigerians in Diaspora who
have returned home, and now own thriving
businesses.
President Goodluck Jonathan with First lady
Dame Patience Jonathan, with other aides
celebrating Nigeria’s victory in London
yesterday. Photo: State House. They lend support to one another, and I am
sure they will continue to capitalise on
investment and growth opportunities in the
Nigerian economy. Most of these successful
businesses are in medicine, IT tech firms,
entertainment industry, and several other professions,”the lawmaker said. “With respect to the Diaspora Bond, we know
the Federal Government has plans to issue a $
500 million bond by issuing a first tranche of $
100 million in 2013. This will be a major
milestone in the process of involving our
Nigerians in the Diaspora in the development of the Nigerian economy. “As said earlier, there are lots of opportunities
for development that these funds can be put
to. Also, of all the countries in Africa, Nigeria
received $21 billion in remittances from its
citizens abroad, putting us at number one in
Africa. This fact, along with the success of the
Nigeria’s $1 billion Eurobond in 2013 promises
to show that Diaspora bond will be a very viable
agent of investment and development in
Nigeria. Nigeria remains attractive investment
destinations for anyone, no matter the
challenge see face today as a nation. We have
the human and material resources in
abundance. You are part of the solution; let us
do all we can to make Nigeria the great country that we know it can be.” During the interactive session at the forum,
Akinlaja used the opportunity to thank Delta
State government for the laudable initiative
organized by the governor and his economic
team and said their counterpart Ondo State,
under the leadership of Governor Olusegun Mimiko, has also created an atmosphere where
investment can thrive favourably. Delta State Commissioner for Commerce and
Industry, Mr Kingsley Emu, who represented
Uduaghan, at the forum, said the state is not
just an investment destination. He disclosed
that Delta State has also created enabling
environment to allow investors get value for their money and also recoup their capital within
the framework of their revenue projection. In a keynote address delivered on behalf of the
governor at the event, titled “Harnessing
Investment Opportunities in Delta State”, Emu
said the “Delta Beyond Oil” initiative has
recorded many milestones in the overall
interest of the people of Delta, especially the less privileged. “Where we are now in terms of policy direction
is Delta Beyond Oil. What we are saying is that
when the oil wells eventually run dry what are
those things we should do with the revenue
from oil in the decades while the oil wells
lasted? How can we diversify our economy using our areas of comparative advantage? The
major ones are the micro, small and medium
scale enterprises (MSMEs). The success of the MSMEs underscores what
we have always believed; that is, Delta is a land
of limitless possibilities in terms of human
capital and natural resources,” the
commissioner said.
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