Abia State Governor Alex Otti has called on businesses that relocated from the state during years of insecurity to consider returning, saying his administration has created a safer and more business-friendly environment.
Otti made the appeal during activities marking the 70th anniversary of U.O.O. Nigeria Plc, a company whose headquarters was moved from Aba to Lagos during the period when kidnapping was a major concern in the state.
The governor, represented at the event by the Director-General of the Greater Aba Development Authority, Uche Ukeje, said the security situation in Abia had improved and urged U.O.O. and other companies that left the state to reconsider returning their headquarters and operations.
“I learnt you moved your headquarters from Aba to Lagos as a result of insecurity during the inglorious years of kidnapping in the state,” Otti said. He added that the government had worked to provide an environment where businesses could operate.
Otti said his administration was also willing to partner with returning businesses, while noting that the government was working to support the expansion of Aba's economy. He said the administration hopes the city's population will increase significantly in the coming years.
The state Commissioners for Industries and SMEs, Mike Akpara, and Trade and Commerce, Salome Obiukwu, said the government was prepared to support U.O.O. in reviving some of its industries that are no longer operating at full capacity.
They said partnerships with established businesses could help create employment opportunities for young people and strengthen Abia's industrial base.
The governor's latest appeal is part of a broader push by his administration to attract investment back to Abia. Earlier in the year, Otti also urged Abians in Nigeria and abroad to return their investments to the state, citing improvements in security and the business environment.
Otti has also said businesses that previously left Abia are beginning to return, pointing to lower operating costs and infrastructure improvements as factors that could make the state more attractive to investors.
The governor's administration is now seeking to use infrastructure, security and private-sector partnerships to strengthen Abia's manufacturing and commercial activities, particularly in Aba, one of the state's major economic centres.