Báwo ni ẹ ṣe máa jẹ́ kí ó rọrùn fún àwọn iṣẹ́ àṣekáṣe kékeré láti yè bọ́ lọ́wọ́ owó iná mọ̀nà mọ́ná, ọkọ̀ àti ọjà tó wọ́n gan-an?

Q2: I want to start a business, but I don't have enough capital, while existing small businesses struggle with electricity, transportation, and equipment costs. How will you support entrepreneurs and small businesses? Answer: My policy sets aside a $10 billion fund for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to access single-digit interest loans and startup capital. To reduce operating overhead, the

Q14: Electricity is unreliable and families and businesses spend a large part of their income on generators. How will you make power more reliable and affordable? Answer: My policy is to unbundle state power assets, concession national grid transmission to private investors, get gas supply guarantees for power plants, and encourage captive power generation for industrial zones.

Q15: Many rural communities are far from the national grid. What role will solar, mini-grids and other alternative energy sources play in providing them with electricity? Answer: I would make solar mini-grids that will serve as the primary power source for off-grid communities, supported by zero import tariffs on solar components and capital subsidies for renewable energy providers. Q16: Nigeria has invested in many power projects but electricity remains unreliable. What will you do differently, and how will you ensure abandoned or delayed electricity projects are completed? Answer: My administration will audit all stalled power projects, convert viable uncompleted assets into public-private concessions, and enforce strict anti-corruption oversight on all energy contracts. Q17: Bad rural roads prevent people from reaching farms, markets, schools and hospitals, especially during the rainy season. How will you improve rural roads and connectivity? Answer: I plan to expand the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP) using matching federal-state funds to pave critical farm-to-market feeder roads.

Q18: Transport fares are becoming unaffordable, while people in cities such as Lagos spend hours in traffic. What will you do to improve public transportation and reduce transport costs? Answer: My plan is to accelerate urban mass transit rail lines, expand Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems, develop inland waterway passenger ferries, and lower transport operational costs by subsidizing local fuel refining inputs. Q19: Communities are repeatedly promised roads and other infrastructure, but projects are abandoned or deteriorate shortly after construction. How will you improve project completion, quality and accountability? Answer: A $25 billion private-sector-led Infrastructure Development Fund will be created, enforcing mandatory third-party engineering audits and releasing funds based on verified milestones to stop project abandonment. Q20: How will you ensure that infrastructure investment reaches rural communities and is distributed fairly across Nigeria rather than concentrated in major cities? Answer: I will make sure the budget allocation model will use population and agricultural productivity benchmarks-rather than urban density alone-to guarantee equitable infrastructure funding across every geopolitical zone.

· Open up the entire power sector from generation to transmission for private investments. Going forward, the goal of every developing country must be to achieve universal access to electricity, ensuring that every citizen benefits from reliable power for daily needs, education, healthcare, and economic activities. This would be in line with the SDG 7 (Sustainable Development Goal 7), which aims to ensure affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all. In this wise: · Nigeria must double efforts to support the likes of Prof Nnaji. Nigerian governments both federal and state must provide the Business environment that will make the private enterprises more competitive by (1) reducing their costs of set-up and operations (2) improving their margins and (3) making government policies more predictable · In particular, the authorities must create an environment that will enable distribution companies to recover full costs for power supplied to their consumers with firm commitment to a metering program for all customers. The scourge of electricity theft must be dealt with through a viable partnership between investors in the distribution companies and the government with legislative support for prompt action against electricity theft.

Second, President Tinubu’s policies create a hostile environment for businesses, big or small. The private sector is overwhelmed by Tinubu’s dismal policies and overburdened by his failure to address the policy fallouts. The manufacturing sector, which holds the key to higher incomes, jobs, and economic growth, has been bogged down by rising input prices, higher energy and borrowing costs, and exchange rate complexities. For example, since 2023, the average price of diesel has doubled to N1,600 per litre. Electricity tariff has recently been increased by 250% from N68/Kwh to N206/Kwh. As reported by the Guardian (13 May 2024), in Q1 of 2024, energy prices were up by 70%, costing manufacturers N290 billion. Since May 2023, corporate Nigeria has lost more than a dozen enterprises to other countries. Unilever, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Procter & Gamble (P&G), Sanofi-Aventi Nigeria, Bolt Food, Equinor, among others had exited Nigeria citing reasons including foreign exchange complexities, security concerns, and high operational costs. According to the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), nearly 20,000 jobs may have been lost due to the departure of 15 multinational companies from Nigeria.