Mr. Festus Mbisiogu, CEO, Blue Diamond Logistics China, was among Nigerians that received the governor-elect of Benue State, Dr. Sam Ortom in Beijing, China recently. Ortom, accompanied by his wife, Eunice, led a 20-man delegation to China to woo Chinese investors to the state. On the entourage was a chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Audu Ogbe.
Daily Sun learnt that the delegation first called at Kaifeng in Henan province, where they were received by the Vice Secretary, Mr. Lin Hengzi. The visit, it was gathered, was to fulfil an earlier promise by the governor-elect during his campaign that if elected, his administration would attract foreign investors to Benue State.
During the visit, Ortom and other members of his delegation were taken around major business concerns in China by Mbisiogu. Among places visited were the China Geo-Engineering Construction Overseas Corporation (CGCOC), China Railway and Airport Construction Company, Henna Water Resources Department, Zheng Zhou City, Qinbei Thermal Power Station, Ji Yuan City, Henan Water Power Engineering Consulting Co. Ltd, and Zheng Zhou Shuang Hui Meat- Packaging Factory, Zheng Zhou City.
In his speech at a meeting with the management of CGCOC, Ortom thanked the company for its cooperation and willingness to transfer their expertise to Benue State. He noted that his target was to meet the expectations of the electorate, asserting that his administration would pay great attention to agriculture by engaging youths in farming. He said as the food basket of Nigeria, his state had no choice but to engage in massive agricultural activities.
He recalled how, as former minister, he attracted foreign investment to Nigeria which he said was made possible by the support of Mr. Festus Mbisiogu. He reiterated that he would continue to sow on the fertile land of already established business link between Nigeria and China as chief executive of Benue State.
In his response, Mr. Yuan Fengjiun, Vice President, CGCOC welcomed Ortom and his delegation and pledged his company’s support towards infrastructural development in the state. He promised to visit Nigeria and Benue State with his team to explore business opportunities.
The delegation was received at the headquarters of China Railway and Airport Construction Company by the International Director, Mr. Jiang Kaicai. The company expressed readiness to assist the state government in the area of transport. The governor-elect assured Mr. Kaicai of government preparedness to do business with the company when he assumed office on May 29.
The next port of call was the Chinese National Corporation for Overseas Economic Corporations where the delegation was received by the Director, Chen Huanhuan. At Henan Water Power Engineering, Ortom emphasised the importance of clean water in the lives of citizens. He said he had, during his campaign, promised to provide clean water for his people. He sought the company’s support in the area of water supply in Benue State.
At a stakeholders’ dinner in honour of Ortom by some Chinese businessmen and their Nigerian counterparts in Guangzhou, Chief Audu Ogbe thanked the Chinese and Nigerian business communities for the honour and commended them for their willingness to invest in Benue State. He said the priority of the incoming government in the state was to engage the youths and the people.
According to Ogbe, agriculture was the key to the growing population of Nigeria. He expressed displeasure over the high rate of poverty in the country, but thanked God for the people-oriented programme of the President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari. He assured the audience that the APC-led Federal Government will fulfil its promises to Nigerians, especially, a reduction in the unemployment rate. He said the reason he accompanied the governor-elect to China was to strengthen the bilateral relationship between both countries especially, in the area of trade. He emphasized on the business opportunities in Nigeria and advised Chinese businessmen to take advantage of these business possibilities. According to him, Benue State was the food basket of the nation. He called on Ortom to give agriculture a priority through mechanised farming. In his words, the youths were no longer interested in manual labour, but in modern ways of farming. Responding on behalf of the Nigerian business community, Mr. Festus Mbisiogu congratulated Ortom on his victory as governor of Benue State. He thanked the governor-elect for taking the right step in the right direction by coming to source and engage foreign partners in the development of the state. The Blue Diamond boss recalled how Ortomthen as minister of State for Trade and Investment, located him in Guangzhou city and prevailed on him to repatriate some of his funds which he said led to the establishment of the Shanghai Engineering Works Nig. Ltd, Umuocha Village, Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State.
He regretted that since inception of the multimillion Naira industrial complex, he had not made any profit as a result of the lack of steady power supply. He stated that unsteady power supply was the bane of industrial growth in Nigeria. Mbisiogu urged interested foreign investors to explore the energy sector, adding that the sector had been privatized. He called on the incoming government of General Muhammadu Buhari to sustain and improve on the power reform of President Jonathan.
While restating his confidence in Buhari. He said he has no doubt that the President– elect would deliver on power, as his administration constructed three of the four refineries in Nigeria and so had the capacity to fix the power sector.
He noted that the Chinese government had approved a $10billion grant to Africa, noting that the amount would be spent on transfer of skills and training for industrial development. He called on the incoming government not to allow this opportunity slip off the hands of the nation.
“I call on General Buhari to take advantage of the funds to develop the industrial sector and create employment opportunities,” he said.
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