NASS, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Partner Pelican Valley, NCBN to Attract Foreign Investments

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The National Assembly and Ministry of Foreign Affairs have expressed readiness to partner with Nigerian real estate firm, Pelican Valley, NCBN, and others in furtherance of both private and government initiatives to attract direct foreign investments to Nigeria.

The assurance for this came during separate visits to the National Assembly Red and Green Chambers Committee Chairmen on Diaspora and also the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja by the CEO of Pelican Valley Nigeria Limited, Ambassador Babatunde Adeyemo, promoter of Kajola Resort Canada, Dr Olukunle Ibitoye, Chairman of Nigerian Canada Business Networks (NCBN), King Wale Adesanya and the Group managing director of Xtrarge farms & resorts, Dr Moji Davids.

The visits were necessitated by
the need to consolidate on the gains of the successful conclusion of the 7th edition of Nigeria Diaspora Investment Summit (NDIS) organised by Nigeria Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) at the Presidential Villa Abuja in early November and which was co-sponsored by Pelican Valley Nigeria Limited.

Briefing his hosts, Ambassador Adeyemo said that Pelican Valley, having created indelible marks in the real estate sector in Ogun State with unusual homes, it was time to expand by seeking partnerships with the relevant committees of the National Assembly, foreign affairs ministry, and Nigerians in the diaspora to drive foreign direct investments into Nigeria.

He harped on the need to change the narrative about the country, using his over 14 years practice of in real estate with due diligence, integrity, and quality delivery without cutting corners, litigation, or Police cases to let the world know that there are still many honest, dependable and trustworthy Nigerians to do genuine business with the Nigerians in the diaspora.

Responding, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb Yusuf Maitama Tuggar (OON), who received the team said the time had come for the partnership to begin, explaining that because of the peculiar nature of the ministry, its eyes are on everything, including real estate, as it all boils down to the image of the country in the end.

Amb Tuggar who was represented by Ambassador Akinremi Bolaji, a Director of Economic, Trade, and Investment at Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expressed readiness to work with Pelican Valley and other members of the team.

He said, “Let me say this very loud and clear you are the shakers and movers of events at all times (in your subsector). The fact that you attended the NDIS, says a lot and I’m proud of you guys.

“That you have gone the extra mile of coming to the office to meet us, we are going to put this clearly in our record that Nigerians are coming forward to warm up to the foreign ministry so that we can start a partnership. This partnership certainly we need it and it is long overdue.”

Similarly, Senator, Victor Umeh, the Chairman of, the Senate Committee on diaspora, expressed the readiness of the Committee to encourage rewarding partnerships among Nigerian investors/entrepreneurs both at home and abroad.

The senator specifically expressed his desire to promote genuine real estate investors in the country, noting that genuine local investors such as Pelican Valley are what the Nigerians in the diaspora are craving.

According to him, it is his strong desire to mobilise the committee to work with the NIDCOM towards compiling data based on verifiable and genuine Nigerian entrepreneurs like Pelican Valley, who they can jointly push forward as dependable real estate practitioners for Nigerians in the diaspora to do business with.

Also, the Chairman, of the House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora, Hon. Sir Tochukwu Chinedu Okere, emphasized the need to create awareness for good Nigerians both at home and in the diaspora who are doing well for support through recommendation of their services and products at the right quarters of the international communities.

Hon. Okere hailed the Leadership and Governance Canada Summit held in Toronto, Canada, describing it as a success even as he expressed his sincere and patriotic desire to see subsequent summits reflect the nation’s true geopolitical zones in its participation.

He said, “We need to encourage those that are doing well and also find a channel to create awareness for some of these things because we need to know more because we travel to other areas.

“We connect people so that we can all work together because those in the diaspora also find it difficult to trust Nigerians.

So, there are depending on some of us to link them with the right people at the right time. I think as I was discussing with Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, we need to build a kind of hub or ark that can accommodate various types of investments so that it will be one touch. So, if you have access to that kind of hub/ark, it will help all of us to make decisions at a faster rate.”