By Oluchi Omai
The Chairman of the Cross River State Diaspora Commission, Prince Okor Otu, has extended an open invitation to Nigerians and Africans in the diaspora to invest in Cross River State, assuring them of a safe and welcoming environment for their businesses.
He made this known during a media parley with members of the Global United Christian Congress of Africa and Diaspora (GUCCAD) in Calabar. He emphasised that Cross River remains a peaceful and investment-friendly state committed to protecting investors’ interests under the law.
“Cross River State is welcoming and will protect investors as stipulated in the law,” he said. “We encourage those in the diaspora to feel free to invest and be rest assured that their investments will prosper here.”
In her remarks, the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Cross River State Chapter, Mrs Archibong Bassey, welcomed GUCCAD members to the state and expressed gratitude to the Governor, Senator Prince Bassey Edet Otu, for his continued support and hospitality.
“Cross River is a peaceful state with warm and loving people,” she noted. “We appreciate the Governor for the warm reception given to our guests.”
Speaking on behalf of GUCCAD, the organisation’s President, Professor Ijoma A. Nwosu, commended Governor Otu for the warm reception accorded to delegates from 18 countries who attended the event. He pledged that the organisation would continue to strengthen ties between Africa and its diaspora community.
“We appreciate His Excellency for the warm welcome,” Prof. Nwosu said. “In the coming years, we hope to bring home even more of our brothers and sisters from abroad.”
The Public Relations Officer of GUCCAD, Reverend Nneka Amarachukwu Nwosu, highlighted the organisation’s mission to reconnect Africans in the diaspora with their roots and inspire them to invest back home. She noted that GUCCAD’s first and second conferences were held in Ghana before bringing the movement to Nigeria.
“We are moved by the need for Africans in the diaspora to come home and invest in their roots,” she explained. “But if they must return to invest, there must be clear policies that protect their investments. Most of us work extremely hard to earn what we have.”
Rev. Nwosu also stressed the importance of integrity and ethical leadership in nation-building, urging Nigerian leaders to instil such values in the younger generation.
“For Nigeria and Africa to be better, we must work in integrity and teach our young ones to do the same. When there is integrity, it will be easier for those in the diaspora to invest confidently,” she said. “Please, there should be protection for investors coming from the diaspora.”
The aim of GUCCAD, according to organisers, is to ensure that every black person living abroad reconnects with the African continent and experiences the essence of their motherland.
Emmanuel Onwuka