By Kingsley Fanwo

LOKOJA—Kogi born business magnate and chairman, Destiny Group of Companies, Ademola Bello, has called on government at all levels to promote business growth through business development incentives in order to rebound the economy from its comatose state.

Speaking exclusively to Vanguard in Lokoja weekend, Bello said the government should create the right regulatory environment as well as credit guarantee to help people develop their businesses, saying the economy would continue to bleed when majority of the populace depended on earnings from civil service.

He said it was time government placed high premium on business development.
Bello said: “Businesses have continued to suffer as a result of poor business regulations and implementation as well as lack of access to capital.”

“We call on government at all levels to intervene in order to enhance the borrowing capacities of businesses as well as protect businesses from multiple taxations in order to promote business development and expansion. No economy can grow without government’s commitment to business growth and development.

“The economic recovery initiative will amount to nothing until government gives the business community its pride of place.

“We have the capacity to generate jobs but only when our businesses grow. Therefore, government needs a strong collaboration with Chambers of Commerce and industries to achieve its noble objectives”.

Bello also urged financial institutions to come up with more initiatives to help business growth in Nigeria, arguing that the present situation was anti-growth.

He also appealed to government to put in place, infrastructural facilities to make the conduct of business a hitch-free process.

“Some of us who are in the distribution industry have been finding it difficult with the condition of roads in the state.

“The government should do something urgent to fix the roads so that movement of people and goods could be made easier. Obajana-Kabba road and Ayetoro to Ilorin road are the most worrisome,” he said.