Goodluck Jonathan Back On His Feet After Ill Health

President Goodluck Jonathan was back on his feet yesterday, 24 hours after he suddenly took ill in London.

He proceeded to address a forum of the Honorary International Investors’ Council (HIIC) at the Hilton Hotel Parklane in London and declared that he was “strong enough” to attend the session.

He had missed the Thursday session of the 15th meeting of the Council, which is being coordinated by Baroness Lynda Chalker, on account of the illness.

He was attended to by medical practitioners, his spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati, said.

The President, however, arrived the venue of the event yesterday at exactly 9:30 am (London time) in company with the Nigerian High Commissioner in the UK, Dr. Dalhatu Tafida, and the Minister of State II (Foreign Affairs), Nurudeen Mohammed.

The President, who betrayed no sign of illness, shook hands with the Coordinator, Baroness Lynda Chalker, and members of the council before taking his seat.

He apologised to the council members on his inability to attend the Thursday session and stressed that he was now okay.

He pledged the Federal Government’s commitment to the implementation of bold and courageous reforms with a view to encouraging existing investors in the country and attracting new ones.

Such steps include tackling internal security challenges and improving power supply.

He said: ”In 2014, we must not lose this momentum but rather broaden our interventions to address other difficult issues like the high cost of financing in the country and the dearth of adequate skills.”

The meeting, according to him, “builds on the last conversation we had in Abuja and begins to address the fundamental issues constraining competitiveness and investment in Nigeria. Competitiveness ultimately drives profitability, which is what investors are seeking worldwide.

“To be competitive, we must address long standing issues and introduce bold and courageous reforms, regardless of short term political pressures. This is why my government has remained steadfast in making Nigeria the preferred location for investors to do business, because it is our only pathway to create jobs, generate wealth, and guarantee our security.”

On security, he said the government was “investing in the requisite security infrastructure and intelligence network that will enable us deal more effectively with the new threats we face which can and do hamper investor confidence in our economy.”

He said corruption was also being tackled “in ensuring that the environment is suitable for investment.”

He said: “We will also continue to intensify the fight against corruption. We are indeed happy that the private sector has begun complementing our strong desire to tackle all forms of rent seeking tendencies. The “Clean Business Nigeria Today” initiative coming from the meetings of the Council is a very good example,” he said.

He said Nigeria will be hosting the World Economic Forum on Africa, between the 7th and 9th of May 2014 which, according to him, “is yet again a strong sign of Nigeria’s central economic and political role on the continent. The forthcoming World Economic Forum will be used to shape matters of inclusive growth on the continent, and I invite all members of Council to join us in Abuja in May 2014.”

President Jonathan, who also participated in a discussion of the presentation by the Minister of Communications Technology on the development of ICT infrastructure in the country, was briefed on the council’s deliberations of Thursday on measures to secure additional sources of finance for essential development projects in Nigeria.

Baroness Lynda Chalker told President Jonathan that its members felt much more positive about the opening up of investment opportunities in Nigeria.

According to her, the attendance at the ongoing meeting of the Council was the highest ever in its history and that its members were very excited about the emerging potentials of the Nigerian economy.