By Aideloje Ojo
Minna
A lecturer at the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University Lapai (IBBUL), Professor Mohammed Abubakar Mawoli has urged the Federal Government to resuscitate the Rebranding Nigeria Project, as part of measures towards attracting direct foreign investment to the country.
Professor Mawoli stated this at his Inaugural lecture delivered Thursday at the main campus of the University in Lapai.
” The Rebranding Nigeria project should be resuscitated to attract direct foreign investments to parts of Nigeria that have been transformed foreign investment destinations. This can be actualized by identifying and including very friendly investment hubs across the country and featuring them in the new rebranding project “, he explained.
After dissecting the topic of the lecture titled “Valueism for Sustainable National Development: The Role of Marketing and Entrepreneurship”, Professor Mawoli recommended that the enabling businness environment that could reduce cost of doing business and stimulate MSMEs growth should be provided by government.
He argued that this can be done through strategic industrial estate and business hubs development plans and implementation, adding that it would include building or renewal of specialized industrial markets and business hubs.
He stressed the need for the provision of dedicated electricity supply network the national grid and provision of alternative mega renewable energy sources to such hubs.
He said, “Marketing research should be included in the Entrepreneurship curriculum in the Nigerian tertiary institutions because Marketing research skills foster effective identification, evaluation and estimation of market opportunities in terms of customer/ market needs”.
Earlier in a welcome address, the Vice chancellor of the University, Professor Mohammed Hadi Sulaiman explained that the topic of the 24th inaugural lecture has vindicated the management of the institution enthronement of the role of marketing and Entrepreneurship.
” These two concepts have changed the direction of the national economy. Many Universities have keyed into these with a lot of successes”, he said.
