•FIRS Chairman highlights export-led growth path
Nigerian-born global investor, Adebayo Ogunlesi, has expressed confidence in President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms, describing them as a solid foundation for renewed international investment.
Ogunlesi, Chairman of Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), made the remarks after a high-level meeting with the President at his Lagos residence on September 29, 2025, where discussions centred on deepening private sector participation in key industries, including energy, aviation and ports.
Speaking after the meeting, according to a press statement, Ogunlesi commended the administration’s economic direction, citing the removal of fuel subsidies, ongoing tax reforms and revival of local oil refining as signs of genuine policy progress.
“We had an excellent meeting where we discussed strategies to put Nigeria front and centre for global investment. The President was very encouraging and we exchanged valuable ideas on driving economic growth,” he said.
While declining to disclose specific investment figures, Ogunlesi confirmed that his firm is actively investing in Nigeria and evaluating new opportunities across multiple sectors.
“Watch this space. Nigeria may not yet be the most exciting investment destination, but that’s what we are working on,” he noted.
On areas of focus, Ogunlesi highlighted energy, gas, aviation, ports, and renewable energy, stressing that Nigeria’s vast gas reserves remain significantly underdeveloped.
Drawing on his firm’s experience in LNG projects in Texas and Australia, he described Nigeria’s energy sector as “ripe for sustainable partnerships”.
Also present at the meeting was an international investor, Hakeem Bello-Osagie, who emphasized the importance of diaspora involvement in Nigeria’s economic transformation.
“When Nigerians at home and abroad invest in the country, it sends a powerful message to the global community,” Bello-Osagie said, saying Tinubu’s policies have made Nigeria increasingly attractive to investors.
Echoing similar sentiments, Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Zacch Adedeji, noted that the administration’s fiscal and structural reforms are laying the groundwork for an export-led economy.
“We have achieved the fundamentals, and now it is time to deliver growth,” Adedeji said.
