Within 90 minutes of his arrival in India on Tuesday, President Bola Tinubu was received in New Delhi by the Chairman/CEO of the Hinduja Group of Companies, Mr. Gopichand Hinduja. The conglomerate boosts total asset portfolio exceeding $100 billion.
The smiling Nigerian leader made it clear to his first guest that he is in India with one focus: attracting investments to Nigeria with lucrative opportunities for investors, but most essentially, jobs for Nigerians and new revenue opportunities for federal and sub-national governments.
“We are here for business. I am here to personally assure our friends and investors that there is no bottleneck that I will not break. Nigeria will become one of the most conducive places on earth to make good profits and create lasting jobs. With my support, there is nothing standing in your way of enjoying the unrivaled opportunities presented by our massive market and the ingenious & hardworking nature of the Nigerian people. We are open for business”, the President assured.
The Hinduja Group Chairman told the President that he was a living witness to his landmark achievements as Governor of Lagos in turning a coastal erosion and water encroachment crisis into a massive free trade zone where industry now thrives. This, he said, was partially responsible for his excitement to partner with Nigeria’s new President to create win-win prosperity for Nigeria’s talented population.
“We believe in you as a leader who has done this before. You know what the challenges are. You know how to fix them. We are going to make investments into the billions of dollars under your leadership, because we see you are already addressing the systemic problems. I am ready now to sign an MoU and to begin execution. You tell me who to liase with and we will get to work immediately, particularly with respect to bus and automobile manufacturing in Nigeria, amongst other areas”, the industrialist enthusiastically stated.
The President immediately responded.
“Ministers of Trade and Finance, the two of you will follow this up immediately and you will draw up the terms to the satisfaction of both parties. If there are any issues at all which require my intervention, they must be brought to my attention immediately”, he said.
After the President assigned the task of concluding the agreement to the two Ministers in collaboration with with Hinduja Group Executives, who were present in the room, the industrialist could not hide his excitement.
“I have had paperwork stalled in Nigerian bureaucracy for over one year, especially in (FCT) Federal Capital Territory, but I knew that you would be purpose-driven in this endeavour and God will help you to turn Nigeria’s rich promise into rich reality for all of its citizens”, the Indian billionaire further said.
The President also said that his task of making Nigeria great can only be achieved through teamwork and not in isolation, noting that when his investors are happy, Nigerians will rejoice by partaking in an inclusive economy where hard work is rewarded and where excellence becomes the reputation of the nation.
President Tinubu was accompanied to the meeting by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minster of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun; his counterpart for Industry, Trade and Investment, Hon. Doris Uzoka-Anite; and that of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar.
