In Adamawa, Fintiri Attracts Investors

In Adamawa, Fintiri Attracts Investors

Rather than take frequent trips abroad to scout for investors, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State has concentrated on tapping into the pool of wealthy Nigerian businessmen, writes Daji Sani

Despite the recent political cloud gathered against him and the devastations from the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy of Adamawa State, Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, is taking the right steps to boost economic activities as well as create more than 100,000 direct and indirect job opportunities for the people of the state.

The people of the state can testify to his resilience and doggedness to grow the economy and provide the basic necessities of life to the residents of the state despite the devastation of the economy caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the political clouds gathering against the governor by the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) to wrestle power from him in 2023 general polls.

The governor has assured the new trend by personally going out to drag opportunities into the state by inviting investors.

In the past few weeks, Fintiri paid several visits to Alh. Abdul-Samad Rabiu, the Founder and Chairman of BUA Group of companies in Lagos, the son of Khalifah Isyaku Rabiu, a foremost Nigerian industrialist in the 1970s and 1980s, an erudite business mogul with interests in manufacturing, infrastructure and agriculture with a revenue in excess of $2.5 billion.

Abdul-Samad also doubles as Chairman of the Nigerian Bank of Industry. Their meeting wasn’t a tea party but a direct intervention in the Governor’s desire to attract investors to the state.

Abdul-Samad is known in Nigeria and internationally as an investor per excellence who since 1988 compassionately creates business ventures that not only makes money for the but lifts the living standard of people affected by various kinds of crisis in the state.

Governor Fintiri had gone to meet the chairman of BUA to invest and establish the Guyuk cement factory long politicised by previous administrations with the aim to create employment and increase internally generated revenue.

The governor said his plan was to diversify the economy of the state from the full dependence of petroleum products and monthly location that come to the state.

Adamawa Lawmaker , Hon.Adwawa Dongolock praised the take-off of the construction of 3 million metric tonnes capacity cement factory proposed by BUA Cement at Guyuk Local Government Area (LGA ) in the state. Dongolock, who is a member representing Guyuk (LGA) in the State House of Assembly spoke with journalists at the proposed site of the cement factory in Yola. He said only in the atmosphere of peace that development can thrive in the area..

According to him, the stakeholders were doing everything humanly possible to resolve the issues that led to the communal clashes between the two warring communities of Lunguda and Waja that had engulfed the councils

“l think with the effort put in place to restore and gain complete peace in the area before the construction of the cement factory, l believed if that is achieved the construction will succeed without hitches,” he said

He said the losses as a result of the recent clashes which rocked both communities is huge enough to affect the fortune of the
people of the area for a long time.

He, however, said he’s confident that work on Guyuk cement plant by Bua
Cement will proceed without hitches as management of the company which
plans to begin cement production from the Guyuk plant by 2021 has
agreed to build resettlement houses and relocate all those living on the mountains with huge limestone deposit on them.

He said, “The issue of resettlement and compensation pay-outs have
been agreed upon by both parties. The take-off of the 3 million tonnes
capacity cement production plant in Guyuk will go on without hitches.
We therefore want to thank Governor Ahmadu Fintiri because the company
will surely open up our area and provide gainful employment to our
youths.”

According to the lawmaker, who thanked Governor Ahmadu Fintiri for actualizing cement exploration from his constituency stalled for almost 30 years because of previous administrations half-hearted and
non-transparent approach in engaging investor’s to harness the huge
limestone deposit in the area. He said with the promise of the project providing over 3,000 direct employment and additional 5,000 indirect jobs, Governor Fintiri has shown by his transparent handling of
negotiations with the management of BUA Cement that he’s a man who has the interest of the poor masses, he said,

“We must always thank Governor Fintiri. Despite all that has happened, Fintiri is the only governor who has shown uncommon goodwill and transparency in actualizing the take-off of cement production in
the state. Many past leaders were not after the interest of the poor masses because of their own selfish interest.
Recently His Excellency also paid another important high profile visit to Sir Emeka Offor, Chairman of the Chrome group of companies. From Anambra State, Sir Offor is a Nigerian oil magnate and entrepreneur with interests in telecommunications and manufacturing. He is also the chairman of Sir Emeka Offor Foundation with enormous presence and philanthropic interventions in the education sector in order to empower people for sustainable development in the state.

When other governors are busy travelling abroad in the name of scouting for investors, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri is realistic enough to remain dedicated to achieving desired results from a strategic and definite domestic approach.

“We have business leaders who are willing to invest here at home if given the level playing ground” the governor said this in one of his forum. He said he intends to utilize and capitalize upon the local investors to deliver all his promises to the people of Adamawa

In September this year as if it wasn’t enough, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri met with the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development Sadiya Umar-Farouq, National Security Adviser Babagana Monguno, Comptroller General, Nigeria Customs Service Col. Hameed Ali (rtd) amongst others.

The ATM Governor as he popularly called , described the meeting as successful, the import of which was the security of the North-East and resettlement of IDPs in order to open the economic space and give the people opportunity to realize their potentials under prevailing peace and tranquillity.

The Organizing Secretary of Peoples Democratic Party , Alhahi Hamza Madagali.said in an interview with THISDAY, ” this is a governor that doesn’t go to Abuja to sleep, but always on his feet for the good people of Adamawa State and Nigeria in general.”
Any doubt on the sincerity of His Excellency is calculatedly being eroded in the minds of wailing drillers and hale raisers.

He said his giant strides is quieting critics and detractors alike, the moving train is trampling every insidious nag that holds on to the psych of desperate pessimists.’ Fintiri is a formidable force to reckon with, an unstoppable wind of fresh air, the dawn of a new and modern Adamawa State is here’.

Recently , Governor Fintiri, at the reception for decampees into the PDP, said the people of Adamawa State were yearning for change, therefore, his administration will not relent until the downtroddens are given a new lease of life.

He called on the new members to work with other members of the PDP and support government in its effort towards arresting criminality and bringing development to Adamawa State.

The State Chairman of the PDP, Barr. Tahir Shehu called on the people of Mubi zone, from where the decampees came to Yola, to continue to rally round politicians with good track records.

In his remark, Alhaji Abubakar Wambai who led his supporters from Mubi to Yola for the reception into the PDP, said with his defection to the ruling party, APC is completely dead in the northern part of Adamawa State.

Wambai who is a strong force in APC in Mubi , Mania LGAs said they decided to identify the governor because of his developmental strides and his concerned in the area of trying to provide the basic necessities of life to the people of the state.

While at the APC Secretariat, the state party Chairman, Alhaji Ibrahim Bilal, announced to party members who gathered in honour of a departed former official of the party, that ex-Governor Bala Ngillari and others had joined the party from the PDP.

Bilal said, “Ngillari decamped to APC after long consultation, and he joined the progressive party with thousands of his supporters.

“He told me verbatim that his coming to APC is not to look for any position but to enjoy freedom of political aspiration.

However APC said it had resolved its differences to take power from the PDP in 2023 national elections.

QUOTE

The people of the state can testify to his resilience and doggedness to grow the economy and provide the basic necessities of life to the residents of the state despite the devastation of the economy caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the political clouds gathering against the governor by the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) to wrestle power from him in 2023 general polls.

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