FG vows to protect Nigerians’ investment in Angola
The Federal Government has told Nigerian auto spare parts dealers in Angola that it will stand by their investments and look after the interests of Nigerians who live and work abroad.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu gave the pledge on the sidelines of the 21st Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union. She visited Cidade De Motores, City of Engines, in Golf 2, Luanda, where the Nigerian Auto Parts Dealers Association has built a large market.
In a statement on Thursday, Dr Magnus Eze, the minister’s spokesperson, said she took pride in what the traders had achieved. She called the project proof of the pioneering spirit of Nigerians and an example of what citizens can build outside the country.
We are very proud of you, having seen the worth of the enormous investment you have put on the ground. We do not want a situation where people will invest, and later some phoney stories would be told about their investment, she said.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu said the safety of Nigerian businesses would be a priority in future talks with Angola, including the next Nigeria Angola Joint Commission. She also said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu remains concerned about the welfare of Nigerians wherever they live, and that Abuja has already acted where citizens have faced trouble in other countries.
She asked the dealers to stay within the law and to represent Nigeria well. She wanted the market run as a place of unity, with no ethnic bias. There should be no room for tribalism, she said.
Earlier, President of the United Auto Parts Dealers Association Mr Chuks Ukachi thanked her for coming despite a packed programme in Angola. He said the market grew out of a hard stretch when Angolan authorities stopped Nigerian traders from selling by the roadside, leaving many members without work for about two years.
Ukachi said the site is open to every Nigerian and to Angolans who want to trade in the same line, and that the aim is to show a better face of Nigeria. This is an open market, it is open for every Nigerian. In fact, it is for all of us, he said.
The association asked the minister to help secure Federal Government backing to protect the market, which represents a heavy outlay by Nigerian entrepreneurs in Angola.
