Business
RSG Set To Invest N27bn Reserve Fund
Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi says the State’s consolidated reserve fund which stands at N27 billion will be invested for its further growth.
Governor Amaechi disclosed this Wednesday while signing the agreement for the fund’s investment between the State and the fund’s custodians, trustees and managers at Government House, Port Harcourt.
Represented by his deputy, Engr. Tele Ikuru, who is the Chairman of the State Investment Committee, Governor Amaechi noted that the decision to invest the fund was aimed at safeguarding the future of Rivers people, stating that the decision was backed by a law establishing the reserve fund which has been passed by the State House of Assembly.
The State Chief Executive said the fund would be invested in low-risk products such as treasury bills and was expected to yield 16 percent returns annually, pointing out that finance companies engaged to manage the funds were the best in the country.
In their separate speeches, Executive Director of Skye financial Services Limited, the fund’s custodians, Mr. Patrick IIodianya, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Stanbic IBTC Bank, the fund’s managers, Mr. Olumide Oyetan, and Regional Manager, South-South, of First Trustees Ltd, Mr. Abimbola Ajinibi, lauded the State Government’s initiative, saying it was a noble objective.
They expressed optimism that the initiative would ensure that the government’s goal of safeguarding the future of Rivers people after oil would be achieved, noting that the process underwent a rigorous procedure to fine-tune the investment structures, expressing their resolve to meet the expectations of the government.
In his speech, Special Assistant to the Governor on Investment, Mr. Abiye Amakiri, said the aim of the initiative was not only for wealth preservation but also the welfare of Rivers people, explaining that the returns from the investment would be re-invested to further grow the fund, urging the people of the State to see the idea as a noble cause which needed to be sustained by subsequent administrations.