The Group Chairman of Heirs Holdings, Tony O. Elumelu has called on the Indian private sector to seize the opportunity to invest in Nigeria during the Nigeria-India Presidential Roundtable and Conference yesterday in New Delhi, India.
Africa Today News, New York reports that the event was jointly organised by the High Commission of Nigeria to India, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Nigeria-India Business Council (NIBC).
Elumelu was in Delhi for the G20 Summit as part of the delegation by the Nigerian President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and as co-chair of the Business 20 (B20) Action Council focusing on African economic integration, the private sector counterpart to the G20.
During a keynote address, Elumelu invited Indian private sector leaders to join him and other global investors in accessing the rapidly evolving Nigerian economy.
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He said; ‘This is the time to invest in Nigeria. I speak as a private sector investor in Nigeria, the companies in our group’s investment portfolio demonstrate the opportunity. I believe you also can take advantage of our track record and success,’.
At the Presidential roundtable hosted by President Tinubu, Indian investors pledged investments of nearly $14 billion to Nigeria, following the Nigerian president’s commitment to create the enabling environment for foreign investments to thrive.
Tinubu had on Thursday took time to reflect on the trajectory of his life, which prepared him for leadership.
The president spoke to a gathering of Nigerians in India; where he is attending the G-20 summit.
Tinubu told a story of his slow start to greatness, including working as a security guard and a tutor in school.
‘Good education brought me here and I am happy to stand before you here as the president of Nigeria,’ he said.
‘I started small. I was a security guard. I was a tutor in school. I was a brilliant student.
‘I joined Deloitte and was trained by one of the biggest accounting firms in the world, because of my education.’
‘When I joined them, I asked them, do you have branches in Nigeria? and they said, ‘we have a lot of clients that will take you, if you want to go home.’
‘That’s how I got to Exxon Mobil and was a very successful accountant, auditor-general, and treasurer, until I joined politics with a can-do attitude.
‘You can also do it; do not be despondent in any way. Nigeria is ready to accommodate all. It does not matter which part of Nigeria you are from,’ the president exclaimed.
Tinubu claimed that despite having abundant natural and human resources, Nigeria’s poor state was due to a lack of leadership.