Bureaucracy
and nepotism has been identified as a major obstacle against foreign
investment and sustainable development in the country.
Environmentalist
and CEO of Ecologistics Integrated Service Ltd, Dr. Paul Abolo, made
this assertion in a chat with Vanguard noting that he and other
foreign investors came up with a climate vulnerability reduction plan
for Nigeria to re-frame the solid minerals opportunities.
Abolo,
who had lived in the Unites States for about two decades as an
entrepreneur said that
government
bureaucracy frustrated him and his foreign partners on several
occasions who were willing to create jobs and advance sustainable
development business practices for productive growth in resources
utilization.
According
to him, he and the American foreign investors met with the Minister
of Minister of Solid Minerals and Steel Development and the Permanent
Secretary of the Federal Ministry of water resources on separate
occasions and they liked their ideas but bureaucracy stalled the
project.
The
Colorado Technical University trained environmentalist affirmed he
analysed and liked the Subsidy
Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P)
and invited his friends in the United Stated but were frustrated in
Nigeria when the made their presentations which was initially
accepted and lauded.
“Last
year or rather two years ago, I began to get more involved in the
government's activities and by the time the government then, launched
the SURE P programme, I was in Abuja and I followed that SURE P and I
did alot of analysis on it so when I got back to the United States,
and I called my friends to have a good thing doing for us, he said
“We
looked at the job creation, promises that were made, and I looked at
alot of things and the environmental aspects, we came up with a
climate vulnerability reduction plan for Nigeria. There after, I took
a long study about how to re-frame our solid minerals opportunities
in Nigeria.
“These
are government initiatives and we started approaching the federal
government. So Abuja was just like next door to me because we go
there frequently. I can tell you that Nigerian bureaucracy did not
allow us to progress.
He
added: “On two occasions I had friends from the United States and
they came down to Nigeria-the federal ministry, we even did a solar
water purification project. We made a presentation to the then
Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of water resources, they liked
it.
“The
Perm Sec appointed the directors general to work with us and was
suppose to give us concession for the other processes. Couple of
days, we had to come back several times without any action taken and
you know how things happen in Nigeria. So we got frustrated.
“Last
year, we we did a presentation to the Federal Ministry and the
Minister of Solid Minerals and Steel Development ,he also liked the
presentation. He set up a committee. But the committee saw me as an
enemy and at the end they just allowed me to move forward. Each time
that I go ahead and develop this I got frustrated with the project
but not frustrated as an individual.
“Everything
here has to do with how close you are to the government. You come in
very happy as a Nigerian citizen and you want to contribute and you
manage to get it to the right channel and you do your work clean, and
later find out that there is still that element that is drawing us
back as a nation. So what happens to our foreign counter part?
“So
people would like to know how did you get here and all of that. Also
one has to be very careful in the process of explaining who you are
and how you came in , you will not compromise. It is one of the basic
things that I and my partners do.
“We
agree that we don’t get compromised we are actually bringing
solution to Nigeria. Our first focus is how to impart on the people
and the country of course we can make money but that's not the issue
so that the part of issues we have”
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