The Central Bank of Nigeria has called on the organised private sector of the economy and other stakeholders to support government efforts in nation building and job creation.
CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, said this on the occasion of the Blueband factory launch organised by Unilever in Agbara, Ogun State.
Emefiele also pledged the CBN’s continued support for companies committed to the objective of job-creation.
He said that there were many Nigerian youths whose potential could be harnessed to strengthen the industrial base of the country.
“Every Nigerian should join hands in nation building and desist from de-marketing the country,” Emefiele said.
The apex bank governor, who was represented by CBN’s Acting Director, Corporate Communications, Mr. Isaac Okorafor, recalled the practice in times past when companies tested and offered jobs to the brightest among fresh graduates of different disciplines before they proceeded for their national youth service scheme, noting that a vast number of Nigerian youths were hardworking and willing to contribute their quota to the development of the country.
The CBN governor also commended the management of Unilever Nigeria Plc for heeding the bank’s call to return to Nigeria and build a world class plant after the foreign exchange restrictions on some 41 items, including margarine.
Emefiele said the policies of the apex bank and its aggressive intervention in the inter-bank foreign exchange market management had ensured transparency in the foreign exchange market.
With a population estimated at about 180 million people, the CBN governor said Nigeria was a ready market for investors and was indeed ready and open for business.
He, therefore, reiterated his call to investors to take advantage of the opportunities in Nigeria by bringing more investments into the country.
Emefiele, however, cautioned that Nigeria, with the population growing at an average of three per cent per annum, had to focus on growth and prosperity if it would transform its population into assets.
“We must plan to feed our growing population so that it does not become a disadvantage,” he said.
Earlier, the Executive Vice President of Unilever Ghana and Nigeria, Mr. Yaw Nsarkoh, lauded the CBN for supporting the company to achieve its goal of setting up the plant in Nigeria and boosting capacity in Africa.
While urging investors to disregard negative stories about Nigeria, Nsarkoh noted that businesses must be part of the solution to thriving communities.
