President Buhari promises better economy through efficient railway system

President Muhammadu Buhari has pledged to revolutionise railway services for the turnaround of Nigeria’s economic fortunes.

Addressing the 59^th yearly general meeting  (AGM) of the National Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) in Kaduna, the president added that improved road network and power sector were equally sine qua non to a vibrant economy.

On the theme of the event, Regional Integration in Africa: Potentials for Growth and Expansion of Nigerian Businesses, Buhari said his administration was re-strategising to tackle the security challenges facing the country with a view to making businesses thrive in all parts of the federation.

Represented by Governor Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa State, the president pledged his to ease of doing business nationwide.

His words: “When this administration came on board in 2015, there were challenges of railway maintenance, power and other issues. As between 24 and 26 states could not pay salaries. That was the picture on May 29, 2015.

“But through God’s intervention, we continued work on the 300 plus roads that we met, while awarding other 100 plus roads, some are finished while some are ongoing. This is to ease transportation and movement of persons and goods. Railway work is ongoing to move cargoes from one place to another.  Power is also improving.

“We are improving the ease of doing business to attract investment, in which Kaduna State ranks number one and Jigawa number two. As a government, we do not want a repeat of what happened in Angola and Venezuela. So, we are doing everything possible to diversify the economy.”

In her remarks, NACCIMA President, Iyalode Alaba Lawson, said the chamber was committed to collaborating with other business entities on the nation’s economic development.

She said:  “As you all know, this annual conference of our association offers us all a viable platform for in-depth discussions on our activities as a chamber. It is also an occasion for us to share experiences, as we work together to move the nation’s economy forward.

“NACCIMA understands the importance of synergy between our association and stakeholders in the local and international business environment, hence the conference is an avenue to foster better collaboration and viable networking opportunities for our entities.”