The present administration in Rivers State under the watch of Governor Nyesom Wike has never missed an opportunity of promoting and marketing the corporate image of the state in any forum in terms of its boundless investment opportunities.
This is usually done inspite of the hullabaloo and desperate conspiracy of few to the contrary to demark the state to potential investors.
The State Government in its commitment and keeping to its avowal pledge to the people  in terms of brining development, dividends of good governance and creating enabling environment for wealth creating seized the singular opportunity at the recently concluded Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Annual General Conference (AGC) 2017 held at landmark centre, Lagos as a platform to showcase investment opportunities in the state to potential investors.
The event was held on Wednesday, August 23, at the HardRock Café of the Landmark centre. As early as 7am Rivers Lawyers and potential investors had all arrived for the event due to commence by 9.00am.
On the part of the Lawyers, NBA Port Harcourt had initially informed her members that the first 300 lawyers to arrive for the event would receive a special package. This promise the chairman of the occasion and Leader of the Bar in the state, OCJ Okocha, SAN ensured the organizers  gave out the items promised without delay.
The event eventually started with the Hall Filled to Capacity., The State Government His Excellency E.N. Wike was unavoidably absent but was ably represented by the State Attoerney General and Commissioner of Justice, Chief Emmanuel Aguma, SAN.
The event became more lividly and excited with the presence of NBA National President, Abubakar Mahmoud and his team, chairman of Zenith Bank Plc, Mr Jim Ovia, Former Governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke and his amiable wife, (a Rivers daughter) Director General of the Infrastructural Concessioning Commission  in the Presidency and notable investors.
Governor Wike set the ball rolling by describing himself, the Chief Marketer of the state, stressing further that Rivers State is one of the few pivotal states sustaining the Nigeria nation with its boundless blessings. That the state is truly blessed.
He said that the state has surivived the worst forms of partisan attacks and de-marketing and despite all these attacks, the state continues to not only blossom but to sustain the country’s economy.
He proudly beat his chest that inspite of the state hosting a sizeable proportion of the nation’s oil assets, there have never been any known and reported attack of any of the Nation’s oil assets located in Rivers State under his administration.
He explained that the people of the state are hospitable and that hospitality truly reflects Rivers experience.
The Governor emphasized that his administration is committed to the Nigerian Federation and the large market the federation provides for investment and trade.
He said his administration has achieved a lot within two years due to peace in the state, conceding to the fact that no society is free of crime and assured investors that the security architecture put in place by the state government to protect their lives and investments is solid as nothing is taken for granted.
He Further assured investors that the obnoxious tax regime that had hitherto been a bottleneck for businesses and potential investors had been sanitised, certificates of occupancy, and consents for both land and transactions and mortgages are now obtained with ease.
No doubt, Rivers State is the second largest economy after Lagos in Nigeria. The state is the centre of the oil and gas industry in the West Africa sub region with a total gross domestic product (GDP) of about US $21.07 billion annually, a population of about six million people, has a large area of land under agricultural cultivation including oil palm plantations and a very high literacy level.
Speaking later, the Executive Director, Bureau of Public Private Partnership(PPP) Hon Nimi Walson-Jack Esq told investors that Port Harcourt is being restored to its former glory as the “Garden City” of Nigeria.
Walson-Jack explained that the present administration in the State has under taken ambitious reforms to transform the state.
The reforms were focused on providing and rehabilitating infrastructure such as road networks to facilitate movement and case traffic congestion in the state, hospitals, schools, power facilitates, tax reforms, improved public sector performance and service delivery.
He explained that the state government policy of tax holidays for new industries, (excluding federal taxes,) abundant natural resources and the broadly improving economic infrastructure have all combined to make the state a highly attractive investment destination.
The Executive Director PPP added that the state government has enacted laws through the state House of Assembly to protect investments by the investors, that one of such laws is the Rivers State Public – Private Partnership Participation in Infrastructure Development Law 2009 (PPP Law) with the objectives to strengthen institutional governance, enhance private investments, attract private funds for investments and provide an enabling environment for private sector participation among other objectives.
He stressed that the state government PPP agenda is to create opportunities for the private sector to participate in the Infrastructural Development of the state, increase the value chain in agriculture and other sectors of the economy and seek genuine opportunities for economic growth. He listed the ongoing PPP projects to include Rivers Adama, Riv metal Recycling plant, Raddison Blu Hotel, Riv Taf hold Estate, the Reserve at Golf Estate, Sterling Ridge Estate, Reef Court Estate, Garden City Villa, Ikm Toll Road and other unregistered projects.
Walson-Jack further stated that the state PPP is currently negotiating the following projects, Port Harcourt shopping mall, Songhai Rivers Initiation Farms, Eligmbu poultry farm, poultry farm at Atali, construction of Abattoirs, Housing development, provision of site and services at Greater Port Harcourt City and Golden Jubilee Hostels and Mall. The old zoo at slaughter round about will be turned into amusement park with the building of five stars Hotel there while Greater Port Harcourt hosts the new zoo.
However, without pontification, but with accurate statistical data he said that the present administration of His Excellency E.N. Wike within two years two months in office has signed and issued 680 Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) to not only individuals but corporate organizations and potential investors in the state as compared with the immediate past Administration of Rt. Hon Rotimi Amaechi  that signed and issued 461 C of O within  the  period of eight years.
He said that, this is a great achievement by the present administration to assure investors that their investments are safe.
In his remarks, Jim Ovia, Chairman Zenith Bank Plc said that the state is very very investors friendly, stressing that the per capital income of the indigenes is over $3 dollars as against the national income of $2 dollars per capital.
He said if the state was to been rated as a country, its economy could have be rated favourably among 15 growing economy of countries in Africa such as Rwanda, Kenya and Ghana, adding that the state has abundant talented young well educated personalities.
Ovia who is also the Chairman of the Nigerian Software Development Initiative stated that the state is safe and remains the envy of investors to invest their resources.
He commended the state Governor E. N. Wike for his administration’s determination, commitment, developmental strides, sagacity, boldness and courage to confront the challenging insecurity.
Also speaking Donald Duke Jokingly added that he is the greatest by investor in Rivers State marrying a Rivers daughter.
President of the NBA, Abubakar Mahmoud, SAN also commended the state government for organizing the event to showcase the investment opportunities in Rivers State to investors and urged other states to emulate the state in subsequent NBA activities to showcase their abundant potentials for investors to invest their resources thereby creating wealth and hard currently for such states.
In his remarks, the state Hourable Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice Emmanuel  Aguma, SAN, assured potential investors that the state regulatory framework is good and urged them to share in the boundless blessings of the state.
In his closing remarks, Chairman of the occasion, OCJ Okocha, SAN, expressed happiness over the well organized event and assured investors of their safe investments in the state.
Group of lawyers at the event who spoke also commended the State Government for organizing the interaction session  to showcase the abundant investment opportunities in the state that will no doubt creates wealth for the state, and job opportunities not only for the lawyers with new clients but the unemployed youths.

Philip Okparaji