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Private sector backing Tinubu he can heal Nigeria—Tony Elumelu
Tony Elumelu, chairman of Heirs Holdings, says the Organised
Private Sector (OPS) in Nigeria is solidly behind President Bola Tinubu.
Elumelu spoke in Abuja during Iftar with the president and
members of the Nigerian business community on Thursday.
This was disclosed in a statement by Ajuri Ngelale, special
adviser to the president.
He said Tinubu’s transformation journey to turn around the
economy and businesses is appropriate for the country.
“We appreciate what you are doing. We know the journey will
not be smooth, but given the will, we will get to the promised land,” Elumelu
said.
“We admire your decisiveness, and we appreciate what you are
doing. You are extremely passionate about taking Nigeria to the promised land.
“On behalf of the OPS, we want to assure you that we are 100
percent with you. We have engaged with your ministers and associates; we share
ideas, and we support them. We know that under your leadership, you have the
ability to heal Nigeria permanently.”
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Also speaking, Allen Onyema, chief executive officer of Air
Peace, charged business owners and manufacturers to work towards bringing down
the cost of products and services.
Onyema also thanked the president for improving the ease of
doing business in the country.
Stella Okoli, pharmacist and founder of Emzor Pharmaceutical
Company, urged the president to look into providing more support for the
pharmaceutical industry in the country to make it self-sufficient and
self-financing.
’NO BIGGER DRIVER OF ECONOMY THAN PRIVATE SECTOR’
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In his remarks, Tinubu expressed gratitude to the business
community for their support and pledged to engage with them more frequently.
He said Nigeria’s economy is at a turning point and will
require the steadfast support of the private sector for sustained growth and
prosperity.
“I would have summoned you before now, not during Ramadan,
because you are a very valuable part of my constituency,” the president said.
“There is no driver of the economy that is bigger than the
private sector. If the private sector is not flourishing, there is no growth,
no prosperity, no employment or development. No matter how flowery the speeches
are, not even a mushroom will grow.
“Thank you for
persevering. We are at a turning point in our economy. I do not have to do a
quadratic equation to illustrate all of that to you. I just want to appreciate
you for your endurance and perseverance.”
Sharing insights from his visit to the New York Stock
Exchange in 2023, the president said he appealed to the investors to consider
Nigeria as a prime investment destination.
He noted Nigeria’s self-belief and determination to drive
economic transformation from within, adding that Nigeria is a self-believer and
can always deliver on its own.
Tinubu reiterated his commitment to fulfilling his mandate,
emphasising that he cannot afford to underperform, given the trust placed in
him by the electorates.
