Cross River State Governor urges federal legislators to enact laws to boost economy, businesses
By Uket Oka, Calabar
The Cross River State Governor, Prince Bassey Edet Otu, has called on Federal lawmakers to enact legislation that would boost economic activities and create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive.
Otu made the appeal when he received in a joint audience Members of the House of Representatives Committee on Industry and the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC) at the Government House in Calabar on Friday.
The governor who was represented by his deputy, Rt. Hon. Peter Odey explained that Cross River State is blessed with natural resources and one of the safest environments for investors to site their industries.
He further noted that the current administration of the was making concerted efforts to improve the socioeconomic status of its citizenry as well as creating an enabling environment for businesses to flourish.
The leader of the delegation and Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Industry, Hon. (Dr.) Enitan Dolapo Badru had stated that the purpose for the visit on the governor was to intimate him of the Committee’s retreat in collaboration with the National Sugar Development Council.
Badru noted that Calabar as a venue for the retreat was carefully selected knowing that the council and the state would collaborate for the overall interest of the Cross Riverians.
While expressing confidence in the abilities of the governor and his deputy whom he said were both vested with legislative and executive experience, the Committee’s Chairman disclosed that discussions were in advance stage to site a sugar processing industry in the State.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC), Karmar Bakrin, said, “the State is blessed with abundance of natural resources and numerous potentials which has necessitated the proposed siting of a Sugar Processing Industry in Ogoja, a Zonal Office of the NSDC and an export terminal that will serve as an evacuation corridor for sugar when the country achieves sugar sufficiency.
He also intimated that importing and assembling irrigation equipment could be achieved using the Calabar Port.
The event was graced by the State Commissioner for Information, Dr Erasmus Ekpang, Commissioner for Commerce, Hon. Dr. Abigail Duke-Orok and her Industry counterpart, Dr. Mathias Angioha.
