Vice-President Kashim Shettima has called for a more robust collaboration between the government and business leaders to propel Nigeria’s economic aspirations.
The spokesperson of the Vice-President, Mr Stanley Nkwocha in a statement on Friday, said Shettima made the remark at the Heirs Holdings Group Directors’ Annual Dinner, held in Abuja.
According to the Vice President, open dialogue, shared insights, and collaborative work between the public and private sectors are necessary tools to develop solutions tailored towards Nigeria’s unique realities.
He called for synergy between the political class and economic stakeholders, emphasising that the two spheres are not opposites but complementary forces vital for national stability and progress.
” Politics is too important to be left to the politicians and enterprises that define our economic destination are too important to be left to the businessmen alone to develop.”
The Vice-President urged conglomerates to serve as pipelines for the administration’s practical economic vision, departing from cosmetic reforms of the past.
“Collaboration between the public and private sectors is the ingredients of a thriving economy.
” We must engage in open dialogue and share insights and work together to crop solutions that are peculiar to our realities.
” Whether it is tackling unemployment, reducing poverty, or enhancing education and healthcare, our partnership must aspire to drive sustainable development and create a safe future for all Nigerians.
” Our bragging right will not be about having the most unicorns on the continent but also about our entrepreneurial standing with global comparisons,” he said.
Shettima, who commended the Chairman of Heirs Holdings Group, Tony Elumelu for his achievements, described him as an “enigma and a banking colossus whose entrepreneurial exploits have carved a niche in Africa’s economic landscape.”
He also lauded the Heirs Holdings chairman’s visionary leadership and commitment to empowering young African entrepreneurs.
“Tony Elumelu belongs to the class of wealthy men because he generates wealth and opportunities and is a harbinger of great tidings to the Nigerian people.
” For the dreams you have relegated to help build our nation, we offer our deepest gratitude and a promise to continue playing our part to enable the ease of doing business.”
Earlier, Elumelu, reaffirmed the group’s unwavering commitment to the philosophy of Africapitalism and empowering young entrepreneurs across the continent.
Elumelu, whose business empire spans 24 countries, noted that the annual gathering serves as a platform to review achievements, business practices, and learn from the experiences of over 100 board members.
“Today, we started our Annual General Meeting, and it will continue until Saturday.
” Sessions like this afford us the opportunity to reflect on everything we have done within the year, look at things we should have done better, learn from our past mistakes, and re-strategize on how to accomplish our purpose,” he said
Elumelu added that, at the core of Heirs Holdings’ ethos, was the belief that the private sector must play a leading role in Africa’s development, a philosophy he described as “Africapitalism.”
He stressed the group’s focus on human impact, citing the empowerment of 20,000 young African entrepreneurs with non-refundable seed capital of 5,000 dollars each as their most significant recent achievement.
Elumelu expressed confidence that the collective efforts of the holdings and other business groups would contribute to transforming the African continent and uplifting the black race globally.
The Founding Trustee of the Tony Elumelu Foundation and Chairperson of Avon Healthcare Ltd, Dr Awele Elumelu, described Vice-President Shettima as an exemplary leader committed to public service and nation-building.
” In Heirs Holdings Group, one of our core values is excellence, and our guest speaker embodies excellence,” she said, adding that the group felt honoured by VP Shettima’s presence.”