Leading Nigerian Businessman, Industrialist and Philanthropist, Abdul Samad Rabiu, paid a visit to President Muhammadu Buhari today in Abuja, to update him and to thank him for creating an enabling environment for business to thrive, and also brief him on the strides BUA Group has made in the past few years.

Thereafter, Rabiu briefed the President on the activities of his foundation, The Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative (ASR Africa) during which he also announced the donation of a N10billion Nigeria Security Support Fund from ASR Africa towards the provision of some security equipment, medical and other supplies, upgrade of health facilities and other infrastructure for families of those on the frontlines.

According to Rabiu, the visit was in order to identify with President Muhammadu Buhari, during whose tenure BUA has built over 10 factories with two of the Group’s subsidiaries now amongst the top 10 largest publicly listed companies in Africa, and to further support the efforts of his administration in business as well as in the security space.

In his response, President Buhari said it was heartwarming to see and hear of Nigerian companies doing so much within Nigeria, and Africa especially in the area of production using locally available raw materials. He also expressed his elation at the achievements of BUA which had led to phenomenal growth within such a short time. “As a Government, we know we have done a lot in this regard, and we will continue to do more to support the aspirations of serious businesses, big and small, by providing an enabling environment as well as supporting value creation within Nigeria.

A former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, has gone under the knife.

The former Ekiti state governor had two major surgical operations within five months. One in February (neck) and another one earlier this week (back).

According to his associates, the surgeries are results of the attack on him during the 2018 Ekiti governorship election.

This newspaper recalls that in July 2018, dozens of armed police officers barricaded a venue of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rally, close to the Ekiti Government House.

Videos of the incident showed the police using tear gas to disperse the PDP supporters, including the then state governor, Fayose, who was also affected by the police action.