Former Governor of Abia State and chief whip of the 9th senate, Orji Uzor Kalu has advised the Nigerian Government to earmark special funds for business owners in order to create more employment opportunities.
Kalu made this appeal on Friday, May 19 while commissioning Tastia Restaurant and Bakery, a quick service restaurant, QSR, in Abuja.
He revealed that unemployment would be drastically reduced in the country if entrepreneurs continued to create jobs, adding that meaningful investments in the hospitality sector would also shore up the country’s revenue base.
While advising Kester Agwu, owner of Tastia, Kalu stressed that the entrepreneur should not settle for low quality products because “the bane of the hospitality business is poor maintenance culture”.
“I like what you are doing to the Nigerian government and people because you are creating jobs. I am not here because of what I will like to eat but I’m here because you are creating jobs and I prefer to go to where people create jobs. I’m also a manager and creator of resources,” he said.
“If everybody creates more jobs, it will take away many youths from the streets. I have employed 13,800 Nigerians.
“I want you to employ more than me. In all the places we have businesses, we have 13,800 on our payroll, including 216 expatriates.”
Taking his turn to speak, , Agwu stated he has invested not less than N500 million in the business and also created 1,000 jobs.
Senator Orji Uzor Kalu is one of the returning lawmakers seeking to be elected as Senate President in the 10th National Assembly that would be inaugurated on the 13th of June, 2023.
But baring any last-minute change of mind, it seemed the former Governor of Abia State has shelved his ambition following appeal from the camp of President-elect, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu to allow support the candidacy of former Governor of Akwa Ibom, Godswill Akpabio.
