By Nasir Dambatta
It was a historic harvest of strategic economic initiatives. It was a no-mean feat by a Nigerian governor who has deployed his entire person and personae to transforming and repositioning the economic landscape of his state to a primus inter pares status.
Kaduna’s governor Uba Sani recently in Qatar struck seven macroeconomic deals with world-class investors to ship their funds and economic development expertise into Kaduna to reshape and broaden the economic growth and development trajectory of the state for future prosperity according to the emerging imperatives of world order.
These deals are flabbergasting products of the governor’s sheer capacity for conceiving every thinkable ideas and initiatives necessary for laying the durable foundation for the future sustainable economic growth and development of the state; and his sheer commitment to the pursuit of the actualization of the initiatives for the lasting good of Kaduna State.
The act of striking the seven deals sends two messages to Kaduna citizens, Nigerians, and everyone wishing the state and the entire country the desired economic good according to the existing demands.
First, no number of deals are too many for the economic growth and development of Kaduna State according to the economic and political status it has built and sustained since the very day Sir Frederick (later Lord) Lugard set his feet in the location now called Kaduna to establish the colonial administration of Northern Nigeria.
Second, Senator Sani is ever set to sprint forth, globe-trotting for every initiative that can be sourced from whichever nook or cranny of the globe to fast-track Kaduna’s economic growth and development.
The two days within which the deals were struck, the international credibility of the investors with whom the deals were struck, the quality of the deals and their urgent demand by Kaduna State are indeed an economic masterstroke by Governor Uba Sani.
The governor was one of the leading lights among President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s entourage, which included senior ministers and other federal officials during the two-day official visit to Qatar in the pursuit of the overall good of Nigeria.
The governor had meetings with investors in the areas of solid minerals, agriculture, energy, and infrastructure development. He explained that CGK GLOBAL, a waste management company with the capacity to generate hydrogen and electricity, declared interest in setting up a plant in Kaduna with the possible injection of $ 350 million.
He convinced two Abu Dhabi based companies, about the viable economic growth and development potentials of Kaduna State and, consequently, persuaded them to express interest in collaborating with the state government in the areas of power generation and distribution, using gas.
Senator Sani also held valuable and strategic discussions with PASKO Limited, a South Korean international mining company with a specific interest in Lithium wanting to invest in the state.
Another international mining consortium, TROVEC Group, thanks to valuable discussions with Governor Sani, has equally indicated interest in collaborating with the Kaduna State Government in prospecting, exploring and exploiting different mineral deposits, as well as the establishment of a Mining Infrastructure Fund.
Hear Governor Uba Sani on the initiative, capable of substantially changing the nauseating narrative about medical tourism abroad, to enable Nigeria to conserve its dwindling foreign exchange that could be drained abroad on medical tourism.
“Together with the Honourable Minister of Health, Professor Ali Pate, we paid a visit to one of the leading hospitals in Qatar, Sidra Hospital located in Doha, to study its healthcare model and explore the possibility of forging a partnership with the Hospital to boost healthcare delivery in Kaduna State.
“In particular, we held discussions on a cooperative agreement in respect of the running of the state- of-the-art 300-bed Kaduna Specialist Hospital,” Senator Uba Sani further revealed.
In the area of Agriculture, the governor had robust engagement with the Managing Director of STALLION GROUP Nigeria, to finalize discussions on the establishment of a 100,000 – hectare rice farm, as well as the setting up of an Assembly Plant for Ashok Leyland in Kaduna.
“We also held a meeting with representatives of a Qatar based Real Estate Company, Dream Construction, that expressed interest in strong partnership with the Kaduna State Government to develop the Mando Mechanics Village.
“The state visit afforded the Kaduna State Government the opportunity to strengthen its existing partnerships with the Qatari Government and the state-led humanitarian organization, Qatar Charity. We also explored new areas of cooperation, “he added.
On the whole, the governor’s visit, as part of the entourage of President Bola Tinubu, has clearly supercharged Kaduna’s economic advancement. The multidimensional approach to securing foreign investment is a no mean feat. It is evidently a pointer to the governor’s unwavering commiting to supercharging the state’s economy, thereby crushing unemployment and poverty.
*Dambatta is Senior Special Assistant on print media to the governor*
