…As official assures on fast solutions on the way

A group of business owners and other eager to join rose from a meeting with a real estate investor, My-ACE China, known as the Mayor of Housing, last week and filed an appeal the state governor to make haste and lift their burdens on ease of doing business.

The business owners mentioned land titles as major setback for local and foreign investors in the state, saying many businesses have stalled over the years.

The Mayor of Housing joined voices to send appeals to Gov Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State to look into persistent outcries by investors and businessmen in the state. China however admonished investors to learn to think outside the box and to be prepared for failing of public sector administrators.

These were the highlights of a late night meeting held by the Mayor of Housing with business owners in the state where they poured numerous complaints militating against doing business in the state.

A government official who was in the meeting however intervened at a point, pointing out various measures that would soon be rolled out to ease business process in the fast-growing state.

The brainstorming was part of the business engagements by the Mayor of Housing in his weeklong business trip to Akwa Ibom State. He was also in the state to join in commissioning the Entrepreneurship Development Centre in Enwang, Mbo local government headquarters.

The indigenous investors, some of who visited home from various parts of the world, listed teething challenges they faced in their bids to bring in investors. They said their foreign partners now regard them as scammers because of failings not caused by them but by government agencies. They thus appealed to top entrepreneurs such as Mayor of Housing and government officials to make a strong case for ‘Ease of Doing Business’ in the state especially on Certificate of Occupancy (CofO), standard industrial estates, tax harmonization, better roads, and others.

Responding, Meflyn Anwana, Special Adviser on Entrepreneurship to Governor of Akwa Ibom State, assured the investors of many incentives and packages on the way to attract investments. She said the woes mentioned by the investors were inherited but that Gov Umo Eno has gone far in creating solutions that would make instant impact the moment the policies were unveiled in the near future.

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On her own, Emem Ibanga, the Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs, who came in later to identify with the brainstorming, supported the assurances given by the Special Adviser.

She said Gov Eno was a man of passion for the people who cared much about humanity. She gave some hints on what her Ministry is doing to reduce agony for the least privileged and incarcerated citizens.

The Mayor of Housing, who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Housing and Construction Mayor Limited, promoters of the upcoming Alesa Highlands Green Smart City near Port Harcourt, Rivers State, showed many ways he surmounted such obstacles.

Teething problems:

Some of the difficulties the business people said they faced in the state included near impossible land title processes and very low ease of doing business.

Some of those who spoke asked when last a governor in the state signed certificates of occupancy (CofO), to which no immediate answer was given in the hall.

One of the investors who said he came in from outside Nigeria said investors have tired out, mentioning numerous businesses that had crashed.

Some said failure to address land title difficulties had led to their foreign partners accusing them of being fraudsters. One source said that is why Shelter Afrique fled to do wonders in Ghana instead of difficulties in Nigeria.

One contributor said many Akwa Ibom citizens abroad were looking for honest investments back home, urging the state government to make haste and roll out ‘ease of doing business’ procedure to attract them.

Embrace real estate – China:

During the discussions, the investment crusader treated practical matters in investments, business decisions, collaboration, the new capital, rising above the wind, etc.

He gave tips and said it is advisable to embrace real estate because wealth of the Earth is the earth. “Learn to translate labour to mental capital. Don’t waste it.”

He gave secrets, saying: “Secret of my secret is going back to do apprenticeship. I was always best student, best in class, best in university, but I was nothing in business without learning, without apprenticeship.

“Agents and those who sell land must endeavor to reinvest in same real estate. It is a crime to make money in real estate without reinvesting in it.”

As a marketer, he went on, “I invest big in marketing myself because I believe very much in three key concepts: Accessibility; Availability; Visibility. Seeing value is very important. Better to earn less and work with a successful organization to learn well.”

To developers, he said, “Find out where people are going, buy land there before they get there. Entrepreneurs are born when problems occur; so, solve problem, make money”.

He advised business leaders to leave legacies that would convince their children about the value of hard work. “Collaboration is the new capital.”

He said distress sale is key in real estate, saying it is a money spinner.

On why investors must not ignore Akwa Ibom, the Mayor of Housing said the state has assets such as peaceful people, deep seaport, biggest airport, etc.

He said Akwa Ibom would bring these assets to what he called the emerging ‘Economic Triangle’ in the south-south and south east which he identified to be along the Port Harcourt, Uyo, and Aba axis.

He agreed with contributors that Nigerian leaders have failed to lead well in economic sector. “That is why I want to show Nigerians how to lead. I want to use smart city concept to teach Nigeria what it has failed to do.”

He advised thus: “Put your money where there is emergency. Create a platform. Start with distress sales as quickly as you can. For those seeking to avoid trouble in buying land, remember the ‘Three Risks of Real Estate’: Location, documentation, personnel. Solution, he said, is in verification. “Ask the chiefs and community leaders in any area you want to buy land. They know everything.

“Next, clear with Ministry of Lands. Documentation is key because he who has no certificate of occupancy (CofO) has no land. Don’t allow court cases in land matters because judiciary may become ‘jujuciary’. No court will give you land.

“You may read books but who is the author? Don’t look for luck, look for what works. We live in a distraction era. Attention is the latest currency. Don’t focus on land, focus on multiplying your money.”

At the conclusion of the meeting which lasted into the next early hours, most persons booked appointment to meet more with the investment guru. They said the discussion had opened their eyes.

Explaining his trip to newsmen later, the Mayor of Housing said his visit has shown that Uyo is more peaceful than many knew and that the state had more potential than anyone thought they had.

“My trip also showed that the youth of Uyo are tired of being idle and are dying for an opportunity to learn and express their productivity.

“At Mbo LGA, I saw jubilation in very high levels beyond political hired crowd syndrome. I saw heartfelt jubilation at the opportunity to learn a skill. It may be a pointer in the Niger Delta that the youths are tired of idleness. It was palpable everywhere.

“I found out that most persons in the state are not even aware of huge potentials of the state and what they have. They have so much they do not know they had.”

Why I invest in youth:

Admitting that businessmen don’t spend for nothing, China said: “My gain is the youths. Real estate is a long term business and the people that will be there for today and tomorrow are the youths roaming around without jobs.

“The future Dangotes are the youths of today. Anything that will ignite the entrepreneurship in them will unlock their productivity. When they begin to make money and want to buy houses, they will remember the Mayor of Housing who invested in them in the past.

“Part of my investment into the future for tomorrow is in the youth. I make money today by selling houses today. I make future money by investing in youth today.”