As AFREXIMBANK invests $1bn in the state
Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State has
disclosed that about 300 people have been rescued by the state government from
cattle rustlers, bandits and kidnappers, adding that the victims were freed
less than two months of his administration.
The governor, who made this known in Abuja at the
weekend while signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the President of
Africa Export Import Bank (AFREXIMBANK), Prof Benedict Oramah, for the bank's
investment of $1billion in critical sectors of the state, stated that his
administration had secured the release of 300 people who had for long been held
captive by kidnappers, rustlers and other bandits.
According to him, those held captive were released
without the payment of any ransom by the state government.
"Our administration is committed to a fully
secure state, and we have started that by engaging the bandits in peace move,
which they have accepted to lay down their arms.
"As at today, we have secured the release of
over 300 people who were in captivity. Securing of the release of these people
was done without any commitment; no ransom was paid to the abductors. So we
assure you that Zamfara State is safe for investors, they can come to the state
for investment, as the government is committed to making sure that everything
is put in place to guarantee their security," he said.
Speaking on the bank's proposed investment of $1 billion
in the state, the governor disclosed that discussion on the development-driven
investment started a fortnight ago when he and other state officials "met
with some AFREXIM Bank officials in Dubai through the facilitation of the managing
director of Heritage Bank who promised to connect us with Afreximbank president
which culminated in the $1billion investments which the bank decided to bring
to the state."
According to Matawalle, the investment wouldn't
have been possible if the problem of insecurity was not tackled in the state.
He said: "Zamfara State, as you are all aware, had
so many issues before my emergence as the governor, for which reason and to a
limited time-just a month-God helped us to tackle some of these issues.
"Today, we can call Zamfara a peaceful state
in Nigeria. For your information, for the first time in four weeks, there has
been no report of any incident of kidnapping or killings.”
Matawale expressed gratitude to the bank for the
investment of about $1 billion, which will cover manufacturing, power,
infrastructure, mining and agriculture.
"We assure you that we have all the potential
to utilise the funds to move the state forward," he said.
Speaking earlier, the bank President, Oramah, said
the bank investments would cut across manufacturing and other sectors in the state
for the purposes of opening it up for the required development as against
poverty-driven violence in the state.
According to Oramah, the MoU on the multifaceted
investments is anchored on Public Private Partnership (PPP) , requiring the state
government and Afrexim Bank to leverage on the resources in the state for the
general good of the people.
He said: "We had a very fruitful meeting with
the delegation from Zamfara State led by the governor. In AFREXIM Bank, we are
pleased that the leadership of the state has a clear vision.
"They have identified clearly the strengths of
their state; the opportunities and what they need to unlock these
opportunities. They have decided to take their own destiny in their hands,
which is actually the foundation of the federal structure that we operate in
Nigeria, that states should do all they can to maximise the use of the
resources they have for the benefit of their people, so that collectively, we
can grow and take the economy of Nigeria to a greater height.”
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