By Solomon Asha
Renowned Calabar based entrepreneur, Richard Akinaka has advocated the need for the Senator Ben Ayade led administration in Cross River State to organize an Investors Summit to chart the right course for the development of the state.
Akinaka who is the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Abitto Global Services Limited, a multi-dimensional company headquartered in Calabar gave the suggestion in an exclusive interview with the CrossRiverWatch in his Ibom Layout resident in Calabar, Saturday.
The young entrepreneur whose company is into fabrication of sea going barges for Oil companies, offshore logistics, dredging, marine services and procurement among others disclosed that it was imperative that Senator Ayade organizes the summit to brainstorm on how the development of Cross River State can be charted in the 21st century to maximize benefits to the government and people of the state.
He explained that governments in advanced countries and other nations globally only establish the policy direction and provide the right environment where the private sector drives the economy, explaining that government alone does not have the capacity to provide jobs for the sea of unemployed in any society, hence the need for a private sector driven economy.
He stated that the government should organize the investors summit in Lagos where the potentials of the state, what it can offer to the rest of the world will be showcased, adding that the state already has a name to itself as the most peaceful in the country and blessed with large expanse of land for investment.
The Chairman/CEO of Abitto Global Services Limited stressed the need for the state government to aggressively concentrate on the development of infrastructure in Calabar towards the Akpabuyo axis, Akamkpa and other parts of the state to attract more multi-national companies to shift their base from Lagos to Cross River State.
Akinaka was of the opinion that Lagos is already saturated and congested and the Chief Executives of most companies are looking for the next place that will provide them with the needed infrastructure to stay and move to their operational base in the sea, arguing that Calabar is closer to the operational base of these companies than Lagos while some of the oil companies pay as much as one hundred thousand dollars per annum for a two bedroom office apartment in Lagos.