Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has called on governments at all levels to give strong backing to genuine investors, as he commissioned the sprawling corporate headquarters of Giolee Global Resources in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Wike, who described the facility as a “gigantic, world-class infrastructure,” said he was pleasantly surprised by the scale and quality of the project, noting that it could compete with similar developments anywhere in the world.
“When I was invited to commission a corporate office, I thought it was just a one-block building. But when I arrived here, I was amazed. I never knew we had such a massive infrastructure here,” Wike said.
The former Rivers State governor commended the management of Giolee Global Resources for sustaining the company and growing it into a world-class enterprise.
“It is one thing to establish a company and another thing to manage it well so that it grows to this level. This is commendable,” he said.
Wike stressed that investors deserve deliberate support from government, explaining that access to land titles such as Certificates of Occupancy is crucial for businesses to access funding and expand operations.
“One of the ways to make doing business easy is to ensure investors get Certificates of Occupancy so they can access bank facilities,” he stated.
He expressed satisfaction that the company chose to site its headquarters in Port Harcourt instead of Lagos or Abuja, saying the decision would boost local employment and increase revenue for the state.
“I am happy you did not take this investment to Lagos or Abuja. You brought it here, employed our people and you are paying taxes here. That is encouragement for development,” Wike said.
The FCT minister also praised the company’s corporate social responsibility initiatives, including the provision of a 500KVA transformer and the sponsorship of school fees for 50 students.
“There are many companies that don’t care about corporate social responsibility. Paying school fees for students and providing electricity for the community is highly commendable,” he added.
Wike further lauded the firm for opening its facility to science students for excursion visits, saying it would expose young people to practical industrial experience and inspire future careers.
Earlier, the Managing Director of Giolee Global Resources, Mr Lesi Maol, thanked the minister for honouring the company with his presence and praised his achievements in infrastructure development as Rivers governor and now as FCT minister.
Maol said the company remained committed to supporting its host community through employment, educational support, power supply and regular excursion opportunities for secondary school students.
