Jonathan recovers, attends London event

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan, on Friday, was well enough to participate in the ongoing meeting of Nigeria’s Honorary International Investment Council (HIIC) in London after his hospitalisation on Thursday.

He was unable to attend the opening ceremony of the event, having taken ill.

He was advised to rest by doctors at a London hospital where he underwent a check-up.

But on Friday, he made an appearance, at about 9.30 a.m., at the Hilton Hotel, Park Lane, venue of the event, accompanied by the Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Senator Dalhatu Tafida.

The president, who appeared to have overcome his medical hiccup, exchanged pleasantries with participants, including the Coordinator, Baroness Lynda Chalker, before going on to deliver his address to the council and seized the opportunity to apologise for his absence at the Thursday’s session.

In the address, he said his administration had attained significant momentum on the drive to attract new investors into the country and would continue to encourage existing investors in the country to expand.

He assured that the momentum would not only be sustained, but efforts would be made to increase government’s intervention, while tackling high cost of financing and lack of adequate skills in the country.

“In 2014, we must not lose this momentum, but rather broaden our interventions to address other difficult issues like the high cost of financing in the country and the dearth of adequate skills.

“This 15th meeting builds on the last conversation we had in Abuja and begins to address the fundamental issues constraining competitiveness and investment in Nigeria. Competitiveness ultimately drives profitability, which is what investors are seeking worldwide.

“To be competitive, we must address long-standing issues and introduce bold and courageous reforms, regardless of short-term political pressures. This is why my government has remained steadfast in making Nigeria the preferred location for investors to do business, because it is our only pathway to create jobs, generate wealth, and guarantee our security.

“In building a truly competitive environment for business, we are addressing the fundamental issues such as internal security and power supply head-on. For the first time in Nigeria’s 53-year history, we have successfully privatised the electric power industry,” he said.