The Cross River State Governor, Senator Bassey Otu, has called on Federal lawmakers to enact legislation that will boost economic activities and create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive.
Governor Otu represented by his deputy, Rt. Hon. Peter Odey made this 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.
Odey intimated the visitors that Cross River State is blessed with natural resources and one of the safest environment for investors to site their industries.
Odey highlighted that the current administration of the Senator (Prince) Bassey Edet Otu was making concerted efforts to improve the socioeconomic status of it citizenry as well as creating an enabling environment for businesses to grow.
Speaking earlier, leader of the delegation and Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Industry, Hon. Dr. Enitan Dolapo Badru, stated that the purpose for the team's visit on the Governor, was to intimate him of the Committee's retreat in collaboration with the National Sugar Development Council.
He said that Calabar as a venue for the retreat was carefully selected knowing that the council and the state will collaborate for the overall interest of the Cross Riverians.
Dr. Badru, while expressing confidence in the abilities of the Governor and his deputy whom he said were both vested with legislative and executive experience, disclosed that discussions were in advance stage to site a sugar processing industry in the state.
Also contributing, the Executive Secretary of the National Sugar Development Council 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 intimated that importing and assembling irrigation equipment could be achieved using the Calabar Port.
The event was graced by the Commissioner for Information, Dr Erasmus Ekpang, Commissioner for Commerce, Hon. Dr. Abigail Duke, and her Industry counterpart, Dr. Mathias Angioha.
Ebi Collins, Beagle News
