By; BALA B. BITRUS, Minna
Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State has told Chinese investors that Niger State is a huge gold mine waiting to be explored for unlimited profits and secured for investments.
Bello who was in China for over a week to profile the state to the leaders of the Asian Tigers, had told Chinese business communities that the doors of the state were wide opened for investors who could spin the wheels of economic fortunes without much hardship.
A statement by a Special Assistant to the Governor which chronicled the Governor’s visit to China said the Governor had invited the Chinese to tap into the rich endowment of the state and assist in the rejuvenation of the economy of the state.
Governor Bello was in China for the just concluded Nigeria-China Governors’ Investment Forum in Guangzhou region where he spoke of the vast economic potentials of the state and the preparedness of his administration to partner with willing Chinese investors in developing the state.
The statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant, (Media and Publicity) to the Governor, Mr. Jide Orintunsin, said, while in China, Governor Bello held meetings with a large spectrum of Chinese business men and sought for their cooperation.
Bello had told the forum of Chinese investors that his administration was willing to support investments in infrastructure projects such as energy, roads construction, railways, airport development, agriculture, tourism, youths and women empowerment.
The statement quoted the governor as haven said that his administration desires to improve the economic fortunes of the state by rejuvenating all it’s productive sectors so as to stimulate the growth of small-medium scale enterprises, (SME) and re-position the state’s agricultural sector which is the mainstay of citizens of the state.
According to the statement, Governor Bello told the Chinese business class that Niger being the state with the largest mass of arable land in Nigeria, plus it’s rich water bodies, the natural endowment of the state makes it a potential gold mine for investors to explore.
“Niger is an agrarian state and our land is fertile for virtually all farm produce. The existence of large collection of water bodies also makes investment in the agricultural sector of the state a viable and profitable option to all investore” the statement said.
And while marketing the state to the Chinese business communities, the Governor had beckoned on investors in the textile industry to cash in on the high quality cotton produced by farmers in the state to come and establish textile manufacturing companies in Niger state.
He similarly told his host that the vast rice fields across Niger state were areas Chinese farmers could explore by establishing open rice milling and processing factories to make profits.
The statement said the Governor went to China with basket full of business ideas seeking for investors who could cash in to come to Niger state and do their business.
He was quoted to have told them of the investment profile of the state to include the fact that the state is houses Nigeria’s three major hydro electricity dams with the fourth one under construction at Zungeru even as he appealed to the investors to support his administration’s developmental stride.
In the area of tourism development, Governor Bello according to the statement had cited the opportunities that abound in the development of the proposed Sagunu Beach Resort at Borgu, the premier waterfall at Gurara and the development of Minna Cargo Airport as well as the proposed Minna Airport City Development plan.
He had assured the investors of adequate security for all their investments just as he offered them mouth watering tax waivers as incentives for them do business in Niger state.
