The PDP gubernatorial candidate’s video this morning, in which he sought to explain his failure to invest in Ebonyi by claiming that the State lacks laws and regulations protecting investors and investments, calls for a straightforward correction of the record.
It reveals a deafening lack of knowledge. This submission underscores the importance of proper research and adequate knowledge of the facts before making public statements. A little investment in research would have revealed to him that his claims that are not supported by the realities on ground. They are not only flawed, but unnecessary.
Ebonyi State has a legal framework for investment protection.
The State has the Ebonyi State Investment Promotion, Investors’ Protection, Concession and Regulatory Commission Law, No. 002 of 2019. The law provides the statutory framework for investment promotion, investor protection, concessions and regulation in the State. It safeguards investments against policy reversals or abrupt regulatory changes in administrations.
There is also the Ebonyi State Law No. 002 of 2022 – A Law to Protect Certain Estates and Investments in Ebonyi State and to Provide for the Management of Critical and Strategic Government Infrastructure by the Private Sector.
These are not campaign promises. They are laws of Ebonyi State. And the timing is important.
These 2019 and 2022 investment legislations were enacted during the previous administration, when Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru was the Honourable Speaker of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly – a testament to his commitment to the rule of law and investment-driven development in Ebonyi State.
The State has also developed additional instruments around investment approval, access to credit, grievance redress, land and right-of-way procedures, among others. But beyond the laws, he also asked which factories or production-based industries that are actually working in Ebonyi State.
Ebonyi State Pipes Production Limited is an important example. The State’s own budget and implementation records show investment in PVC pipe production, including extrusion lines and other production equipment. The company is part of the State’s manufacturing ecosystem and produces pipes for use within the State and beyond.
Indeed, government projects are creating a market for locally produced materials. Pipes produced by the company have been used in plumbing works on government projects, including the 10-storey building at Presco, demonstrating the connection between public infrastructure spending and local industrial production.
Then there is the Ebonyi State Fertilizer and Chemical Company Limited, which has been revived as part of the State’s drive to strengthen agricultural production and reduce dependence on externally sourced inputs.
These are alongside other production and industrial initiatives, including building-material and small-and medium-scale industrial activities being supported by the State Government.
And the story does not end with government-owned enterprises.
So many sons and daughters of Ebonyi have investments in the State. Private radio stations and media organizations owned by sons of Ebonyi have equally sprung up. These are examples of Ebonyians who are bringing their capital, businesses and entrepreneurial capacity back home.
So the claim that there is no investment environment in Ebonyi deserves to be tested against these facts.
The laws exist. The regulatory framework exists. Production is taking place. Private investors are coming. Indigenous businesses are emerging. Government projects are creating markets for local production.
And there is an even bigger point.
If someone genuinely believes Ebonyi has enormous investment potential but has stayed away because of an alleged absence of investment-protection laws, then the record shows that those laws existed even before the present administration came into office.
This is why the conversation should be about what each of us is doing to build Ebonyi, rather than searching for reasons not to invest in the State.
Ebonyi does not need to be remembered only when elections are approaching. It needs people who will come home, invest, create jobs, establish businesses and contribute to the State’s growth. If the PDP Guber candidate at least comes home or employs little research work, he would not be mislead in his submissions.
Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru’s administration is creating an environment in which government infrastructure, private capital and indigenous enterprise can work together. The evidence is there. The laws are there. The factories and production initiatives are there and more investments are coming.
As for the upcoming elections, Ebonyians will vote His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru in again for a resounding second term in office and candidates of the APC.
Leo Ekene Oketa
Special Assistant to the Governor
(New Media)
September 25, 2026
