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By Joel Anekwe
Tonye Cole, a front-line governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Rivers State, has said he would leverage on his business contacts to attract local and international investments to the state if elected governor in 2019.
He also promised to ensure wealth is distributed to the grassroots and the rural areas.
The co-founder of Sahara Group, who recently resigned his appointment to contest the Rivers governorship seat in the 2019 general elections, told journalists in Abuja on Wednesday that one of the critical incentives he would provide to investors is security of their businesses and a friendly environment.
Cole who also submitted his APC nomination forms said he also intends to restore hope among the Rivers people.
He declared: “First of all we need to make sure that Rivers people never lose hope because they are a great nation and great people. Wealth distribution among the grass root people is extremely vital and that is something that I want to make sure that everybody in Rivers at the grass root who have been down, who has been impoverished, who does not have peace and security are taken care of. These are things they can get again”.
On investments, he said from an industry perspective, one of the things investors look at is the quality of governance as that can attract them to the state for business.
“For them to come, apart from the global investment that we have the capacity to bring, they also need to be sure that their investment is secure and rule of law is respected. These are things that I have realized that can guarantee what we want to achieve” he said.
“I have been operating at the global level. I travel a lot. I have worked with a lot of people and people know me for doing business with passion and business is about personal relationship.”
“We believe that we can attract investors and we believe that we can secure investment in Rivers State. Rule of law will be protected and they would be able to generate employment for the people of the state” he said
On security he said “security is a relationship thing as well, it has to deal with people because people who perpetrate crime and bring insecurity are human being like you and I. One of the things that we are going to do is to engage with them wholly to make them understand what the outcome is as it affects them, not just their families but as it affects their communities.”
He also expressed confidence the APC will defeat PDP in Rivers State. “Nigeria was a PDP state for a long time and now that has changed and change is a constant thing,” he said.
