ABUCCIMA seeks govt's involvement in Abuja fair complex

THE Abuja Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ABUCCIMA), has called on government for partnership on the construction of its N8 billion trade fair complex in Abuja.President of the Chamber, Otunba Dele Oye, in an interview with The Guardian, stated that though the chamber had begun constructing a part of the 25 hectares permanent trade fair complex, it will need government's partnership on the N8 billion project, which has become the biggest challenge of his three years administration.Oye, who is expected to end his tenure in December, after three years as the helmsman of ABUCCIMA, said he would like to be remembered as one who had made modest achievements. On the permanent trade fair complex, he said that the Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment had signified interest to partner the chamber and that more government support was being sought to make the project a reality.Noting that the business climate in Abuja had been good in the past three years due to the availability of infrastructure and the central location of the city in the country, Oye advised the federal government against wholly privatising the PHCN, saying it couldresult in theformationof monopolies that will be difficult to handle.'PHCN should not be wholly privatised like the GSM business. That will be building monopolies you can't control,' he said.He explained that the initial problems experienced by Nigerians with per minute billing system of GSM companies, who refused to bill per second in the few years after the launch of GSM business in Nigeria, was because of the monopolies created through its privatisation. This scenario, he said would repeat itself, with the privatisation of PHCN.He also called on the Federal Government that though foreign investments are being sought, it should not lose sight of its responsibility to protect its citizens.'Everybody comes to Nigeria to do anything. In China they won't even give you license for three years. Our government should protect its citizens. If there are three slots, two should be for local businesses and one for a foreigner. Also the local business men should not be made subservient to the foreigner,' he said.
Click here to read full news..