Following a high-level meeting with President Bola Tinubu in Abuja, Nigerian-born billionaire and global investor Adebayo Ogunlesi has voiced renewed confidence in Nigeria’s ongoing economic reforms, signaling plans for new investments in key sectors.
Speaking to journalists after the closed-door discussion, Ogunlesi commended Tinubu’s sweeping policy changes, including the removal of fuel subsidies, tax reforms, and the revival of a refinery that has already begun exporting aviation fuel.
“We had an excellent meeting where we discussed how to put Nigeria front and center for international investment. The President was very encouraging, and we shared useful suggestions on driving economic growth,” Ogunlesi said.
While he declined to share detailed plans, Ogunlesi confirmed that his firm is already investing in Nigeria and actively exploring additional opportunities.
“Watch this space. Nigeria is not yet the most exciting investment destination, but that’s what we are working on,” he remarked.
Pressed further on his sectors of interest, Ogunlesi pointed to energy, gas, aviation, ports, and renewable energy.
Drawing on his company’s experience with major LNG projects in Texas and Australia, he noted Nigeria’s vast, untapped gas reserves as a promising area for expansion.
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On aviation, he acknowledged his global reputation as “the guy who bought Gatwick Airport” and hinted at interest in similar ventures within Nigeria.
Ogunlesi also revealed that one of his companies operates ports in Cotonou and Lomé but not yet in Nigeria, something President Tinubu humorously challenged him about.
“He forgave me but said, ‘you have to bring port investment to Nigeria,’” Ogunlesi recounted with a smile.
Also present at the meeting, international investor Hakeem Bello-Osagie emphasized the importance of diaspora involvement in Nigeria’s development.
“When Nigerians at home and abroad invest in Nigeria, it sends a strong signal to the world,” he said, praising Tinubu’s reforms for making the country “investable.”
Echoing the same optimism, Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Zacch Adedeji, described the administration’s reforms as the groundwork for an export-driven economy.
“We’ve done the fundamentals, and now it is time to deliver growth,” he stated.
With global investors expressing growing confidence in Nigeria’s economic direction, momentum appears to be building for transformative investments across critical sectors, potentially setting the stage for a new era of industrial and infrastructural expansion.
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Image Credit: The Champions News
