By Frank Momoh
The National President of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Dele Kelvin Oye, Esq., has met with the Minister of Defence, Alh Badaru Abubakar, urging for increased security to boost investor’s confidence in the country and improve the nation’s business and investment climate.
Oye led a delegation of industry stakeholders to visit the Defence Minister, who is a NACCIMA Past National President, at the Ministry’s Headquarters in Abuja.
On the delegation were Alhaji Jani Ibrahim MNI, NACCIMA 1st Deputy President, and Arc. Abiodun Adetula and Alh. Suleiman Adebayo Audu, who are Council Members of NACCIMA.
The NACCIMA boss during the visit hinted at efforts by the association to improve the business environment and drive economic growth and development in the country since his assumption of office in June 2023, urging for better collaboration with the security agencies via information sharing to protect the business community.
He commended the Minister on his vast experience as a successful entrepreneur, farmer, past President of NACCIMA, and former governor of Jigawa State, noting that the Minister’s expertise and knowledge could be utilized to coordinate and enhance the security architecture in Nigeria, which would create an environment for businesses to thrive and attract more foreign direct investment.
Oye, who stressed the need to enhance the performance of various security agencies while minimizing disruptions to businesses, emphasized the importance of aligning Nigeria’s commerce and investment practices with international best practices and the country’s security service operations in order to optimize competitiveness and increase foreign direct investment.
On his part, the Minister while commending the NACCIMA President for his effective leadership and work on trade facilitation, expressed the Ministry’s commitment to work with NACCIMA and other stakeholders to address the concerns of the nation’s business community security needs, especially on land and maritime operations in Nigeria.
He restated his readiness to work with NACCIMA to create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive and attract more foreign direct investment through improvement in Nigeria’s security architecture.
The Minister further highlighted various efforts made by the Government to promote investment in critical sectors, encouraging local investors to optimize their operations and expand their businesses as the Government will continue to provide the necessary enabling secured environment.