Group Seeks Partnership with Buhari to Boost Trade
Obinna Chima
The Nigerian London Business Forum (NILOBF) has expressed its preparedness to support the incoming administration of the president-elect, General Muhammed Buhari in order to boost trade and investment in Nigeria.
The group while congratulating Nigeria for the success of the recent presidential election, noted that Buhari’s antecedents as a tough minded leader may be a good thing capable of shaping a better future for the country.
They pointed out that both within and outside Nigeria, it is generally held that “the fear of Buhari is the beginning of wisdom,” adding that the statement essentially points at those who in one way or the other may have something to hide or protect either in public or private sector activity.
They alleged in a statement at the weekend that Nigeria, over the years, had suffered from attracting enormous foreign investment due to corrupt activities.
“As a non-profit business chamber, trade and investment promotion British association working assiduously in the past three years, we have significantly pushed up trade and investment into Nigeria and the United Kingdom; Nigerian London Business Forum believes that only strict enforcement of laws by the incoming government of General Muhammed Buhari can bring about attitudinal change in Nigeria.
“Nigeria can be like any other “decent country” if courage, fairness and firmness are exercised in the enforcement of laws on the part of the government. All over the world, it is the enforcement of laws in an objective and impartial sense that results to the virtues of orderliness, respect for one another, trust and confidence all of which are essential for a robust trade and investment relations,” it added.
The Nigerian London Business Forum stated that it had over the years organised series of trade, business and investment networking conferences in which British and Nigerian business leaders were brought together in London.
“The forum is
willing to continue to work with Nigerian government under the leadership of General Mohammed Buhari. We will support his government, we will attract, encourage British investors and business leaders to connect business and investment pipes to Nigeria.
“We will continue to work hard to remain the preferred, most credible and popular private sector platform for the strengthening of bilateral relations between Nigeria and the United Kingdom; we will ensure that Nigerian leaders are given the opportunity on the floor of business and investment conferences of the forum one of which will be holding on July 29 in London with a view to informing British investors and business leaders about opportunities for investing in different parts of Nigeria.
“All these are in line with our objective of promoting and attracting trade and investments, support or oppose legislation or other policies and measures capable of affecting trade, investment, and business between Nigeria and UK,” they added.