“Nigeria Is Open For Business” — Shettima Woos Nigerians In New York
Vice President Kashim Shettima has declared that Nigeria is open for business as he wooed Nigerians living in New York to support the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and invest back home.
Shettima made the declaration on Wednesday at the Nigeria House in New York during an interactive session with the Nigerian diaspora community in the United States, where he assured them that beyond negative stories on social media, the country is on the path of sustained growth.
According to a statement from Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications (Office of the Vice President), the Vice President is representing President Tinubu at the 81st United Nations General Assembly, UNGA, in New York and is expected to address the Assembly on Thursday.
Shettima said the Tinubu administration is working hard to fix the economy, especially in education, health, science and technology, and agriculture.
He said the government will work with Nigerians abroad, who he described as “the greatest resource of the future.”
“Citizens of our country have the capacity and intellect to harness our nation’s potentials and take it to greater heights,” he said.
Speaking on reforms, Shettima said President Tinubu took bold and courageous decisions from the start instead of blaming his predecessor.
He said the reforms are already bringing results, with the country’s foreign reserves rising from 3.9 billion dollars to over 55 billion dollars and 4.45 percent growth recorded in the last quarter.
He added that the improved exchange rate and foreign reserves will protect diaspora remittances and investments.
“We are working day and night to reposition the Nigerian nation as investment confidence is returning to Nigeria, and the Dangote Refinery success story is a true manifestation in recent times. Be rest assured that beyond the negative stories that you hear and see on social media, Nigeria is open for business. We have crossed the Rubicon, and we are on the path of sustained growth,” Shettima said.
The Vice President also spoke about the Nigeria Education Loan Fund, where over 1.29 million students in tertiary institutions have accessed N125 billion since it started.
On security, he said the challenges are not peculiar to Nigeria and the government is doing everything to contain them.
He urged Nigerians to stay united, saying “whatever binds us together supersedes whatever divides us as a people.”
Present at the meeting were Governors Babagana Zulum of Borno, Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara, Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers, Dauda Lawal of Zamfara, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, and wives of Governors of Kwara, Katsina, Abia and Osun States.
Others were Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; Science, Innovation and Technology, Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh; Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Bernard Doro; Education, Tunji Alausa; Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake; Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim; Minister of State for Budget and Economic Planning, Doris Uzoka-Anite; Minister of State, FCT, Mariya Bunkure; Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Jimoh Ibrahim; Nigeria’s Ambassador to Washington, Kayode Are, and heads of government agencies and top officials of the Nigerian mission in the US.
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