Kogi State Government has rebuked BUA Group over the company’s claim that the state is not safe for investment.
BUA Group, in its response to an invitation by an ad hoc committee of the State House of Assembly over a 50,000-hectare land it acquired in 2012, cited insecurity in Kogi as one of the reasons it was no more interested in investing in the state.
“There has been a massive deterioration of security in, and around, the area for the past few years making it practically impossible to start any project there as an investor,” BUA Group claimed.
But Jerry Omodara, the Security Adviser to Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lokoja on Thursday that the statement by BUA Group was unfair.
Omodara insisted that the kind of investments springing up under the present administration in Kogi was a pointer to the adequate security being enjoyed by investors and residents.
“It’s very unfortunate and unfair of BUA to make such an excuse simply because we caught them on our property illegally.
“I came to Kogi in 2016, when there were less than 57 expatriates doing business, but today we have more than 294 of them freely working in the state without any molestation.
“They can go and check the records with the Nigerian Immigration Service to know what the difference of foreigners in Kogi between 2016 and now is.
“Anybody saying that Kogi is not safe for investment is only playing politics, which will have no inroad at discrediting our state.
“Our governor has been able to bring the state into an economic space that is very rewarding for investors and investments,” he said.
