By Celestine Ebubeogu
Report has it that Air Peace owner said he had have cited the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul MRO in the Southeast but no space was provided for him.
The excuses were that communities around the Enugu and Anambra airports refused to cede their lands.
But the Land Use Act of 1978 vested the authority over land in State Governors and Local Governments, who hold lands in trust for the benefit of all citizens.
Today Onyema has built his 32 billion naira MRO facility in Lagos and this is expected to create about 50,000 jobs.
Who’s doing themselves?
One day I will tell the story about how a European billionaire investor waited for 6 months to have audience with one of the governors of southeast states and never had the opportunity until the deal collapsed.
You won’t believe that the refusal or neglect to give the foreign investors an appointment was because the man sent feelers that he would want the state government to help provide a space in a conducive environment, of which he would pay for.
Both the commissioners of land and industry could do nothing. Not even to secure an audience with the governor.
It took a resident company in the Southeast to convince the man to site this industry in the Southeast. The factory was to have its own electricity power supplied by a green power energy source but the investor was reluctant to cite the factory in the Southeast because he felt the east have less sunlight than the region where he preferred to cite the facility.
Twice this man flew into Nigeria with his private jet and even once in the state in question. But he couldn’t meet with the governor.
I am sure some of you would think this is unbelievable.
But this is just one of a thousand ways we shortchange ourselves in this country.
