The Interview Editors
Nigerian Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has urged private sector investors and chief executives to copy the can-do spirit of young Nigerian entrepreneurs who have recently been acclaimed in different sectors.
Speaking at the CEO Forum organised by Businessday in Lagos today, the Vice President said the exploits of Nigerian entrepreneurs such as Temi Giwa-Tubosun, Silas Adekunle, Kenneth Obiajulu-Okonkwo and Jelani Aliyu, epitomised the desire of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to inspire and enable local talents.
Osinbajo, who was represented at the event by the Senior Special Assistant (technical) to the President, Mr. Louis Odion, said the Buhari administration was committed to providing the enabling environment for businesses.
He said, “Some of the investments in infrastructure are already yielding tangible results. For instance, the Lagos-Ibadan railway is now complete and available for public use.
By conceiving and executing this strategic railway project, we hope to decongest the heavy vehicular traffic on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway which is also under reconstruction as I speak.”
The Vice President said investments in renewing the country’s infrastructure were countrywide, adding that the administration had invested over N3.5trn in infrastructure across the country in the last three years, the highest in the country’s history.
He urged CEOs to see temporary challenges as opportunities to challenge existing mode of thinking, saying that he was confident that the country’s future was bright.
The Vice President said though some criticised the decision of the government foreign loans, the loans were for investment in infrastructure, and not for consumption as was the case in the past.
