…commends Senate President, Wadada, others for standing by Nasarawa as headquarters of NCDC
By Johnson Umishi
Governor Abdullahi Sule has allayed the fears of investors coming into Nasarawa State that his administration is taking appropriate steps to protect their interest even after he leaves office come 2027.
Governor Sule gave the assurance while performing the groundbreaking for the Multi-Door Court House in Karu on Wednesday.
Concerned by policy summersault usually when a new government comes in place, the Governor assured investors coming into the state not to worry as adequate steps are being taken to secure their investments beyond 2027.
He emphasized that his administration is fully committed to delivering business reforms and to engender the enabling business environment that would outlive his administration.
“A lot of companies are showing interest in Nasarawa State today, but they are also afraid that should this administration go in 2027, would the person coming in as the next governor be this accommodative?” he said.
Drawing from his experience from the organized private sector, especially that he transversed over 15 countries on investment drive while he was with the Dangote Group, Governor Sule said he is fully aware of the fears of investors regarding policy summersault that is common in Nigeria but that his administration is tackling this fear through the establishment of the multi door court house, amongst other reforms.
“Investors are worried that if the person coming next does not think the way this administration thinks, then their investments are in jeopardy. People are worried about that. As somebody who has gone to almost 15 other countries while in Dangote on investment drive, I was worried about that. We were worried about that. For that reason, every investor is worried about that. There are situations where Dangote invested under one administration, another administration came and said they di not agree with the arrangement and there was a problem. In Nigeria, it is the same. One governor would do this. If another governor comes, he would say no, I don’t agree with it. That is the reason why it is very important to establish the multi door court house. This is the idea about the ease of doing business,” he said.
The Governor added that, to further protect investors coming into the state, the Nasarawa State House of Assembly is currently working on a bill seeking to address issues pertaining to land dispute, with a view to enacting a law to protect investors.
“Once investors are not protected, they will not come to Nasarawa. Nasarawa has been identified as a place where things can happen. Let’s take advantage of that,” he stated.
Commenting on the number of certificates of occupancy issued by his administration during the past six years, he said his administration surpassed the previous admknitrstions put together since the creation of the state because it frontally addressed mistakes that were denying the state expected revenue and maximum land utilization.
He pointed out that refusing to issue certificate of occupancy to foreigners as was done in the past was not only counterproductive but denied the state much needed revenue.
“If we don’t issue CofOs to these then it is a double jeopardy for us. We don’t own the land, because we have sold the land to them and we don’t have the revenue. Both ways we are losers. But when we issue CofOs to these people, we can now track who owns what. We can have an idea of who owns what, where is that person coming from. If we want to take it back, we know where to go in order to take it back,” he stated.
He assured however that indigenes of the state are also benefiting from the gesture, with 25 out of 50 CofOs issued in a week going to citizens of the state.
“When we issue these CofOs, you will see they have opportunities to use those CofOs to be able to obtain facility either to do their businesses or do something else. Issuance of CofOs also eliminates the duplication of disputes as far as land is concerned,” he said.
Speaking on the event at hand, the Governor said that his administration is building the second multi door court house in Karu, with the first being in Lafia, because Karu is now the centerpiece of attraction in the country.
He said because of the significance of Karu to the growth and development of Nasarawa State, His administration is considering embarking on massive infrastructure construction, including rehabilitating the Federal Government roads linking the area to the FCT, all in a bid for ease of doing business.
Governor Sule informed that he is currently awaiting the Chairman of Karu Local Government Area to deliver the designs for the new Masaka market and the Maliya Park, assuring that the contracts for the two projects would be awarded once the designs are ready.
He charged the contractor handling the multi door court house project to deliver quality job and according to specifications.
He warned that his administration would not tolerate shoddy job considering that the Karu multi door court house is an image maker for his administration.
“I thank the contractor for promising to deliver top quality service. Thank you. We need that quality that you are talking about. We are not going to take it lightly if any aspect of this contract is compromised. We need top quality job. Thst is why I don’t know you. I don’t participate in the selection of contractors. I am seeing you for the first time today. The reason why I don’t get involved in the award of contracts is that I can query the contractor. Whoever hired you, remember that the person coming to do oversight function is me. I’m coming to check and ensure that things are going in order,” he added.
This is just as he used the opportunity of the event to commend Senate President Godwin Akpabio for standing with the people of Nasarawa State and for resolving the controversy over the headquarters of the newly established North Central Development Commission (NCDC).
“I want to use the opportunity to thank the Senate President Godwin Akpabio and all the distinguished members of the Senate for the resolution of the supposed dispute about the headquarters of the North Central Development Commission (NCDC).
“At the right time, we will speak on it because there are a lot of people to thank. It is an effort that has been ongoing for the past one week that we have been on it. So many people are there to thank, especially our governors of the North Central that stood behind us and the move by our Senator Ahmed Wadada Aliyu who had to cut his trip to come and move the motion yesterday and seconded by our Senator Mohammed Onawo and all the distinguished senators,” he said.
He particularly appreciated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for assenting to the bill establishing the NCDC with Lafia as the headquarters of the commission.
In an opening remarks, MD/CEO of the Nasarawa State Investment Development Agency (NASIDA), Ibrahim Abdullahi, said the introduction of the multi door court house in Nasarawa State would ensure that for any kind of investment, be it in oil and gas, mining, commercial farming or manufacturing, there would be an enabling judicial system that fosters alternative dispute resolution for quick and speedy administration of justice.
Ibrahim commended Governor Sule for embarking on the most ambitious policy and regulatory reforms since the creation of Nasarawa State with the sole objective of opening up Nasarawa State for investors both domestic and foreign, all geared towards making sure that Nasarawa State is on the right path to industrialization.
He said that the funding for the project in Karu was derived from the participation of the state in the World Banks’ State Action for Enabling Business Environment ( SABER) programme.
On his part, the contractor handling the project, Aminu Osite of AM Synergy Limited, described the project as a major step towards providing a conducive alternative dispute resolution services, including mediation and arbitration to resolve business disputes efficiently in the state.
Osite promised to deliver the project within a record time, according to specifications, adding that he will deliver an edifice that would represent the pride of Nasarawa State on the gateway to the FCT.
In a vote of thanks, the Esu Karu, HRH pharmacist Luka Panya Baba, said the project is a testament of the Governor’s efforts in consolidating the judicial system in Nasarawa State.
While welcoming the decision to site the project in Karu, the royal father maintained that the multi door court house is one that offers an alternative dispute resolution platform, more so that Karu is leading when it comes to cases in court, particularly about land.
