We will hit the ground running – Ministers

The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr Okechukwu Enelamah, and his State counterpart, Aisha Abubakar, assumed duty on Wednesday with a pledge to hit the ground running.

Both officials reported at the ministry’s headquarters in Area 1, Garki at about 4.10 p.m., after the maiden Federal Executive Council meeting that followed their inauguration.

They were received on arrival by the Permanent Secretary, Alhaji Aliyu Bisalla, who also assumed duty on Wednesday and other officials of the ministry.

In a brief remark, Enelamah said he was excited over his appointment and the choice of ministry assigned to him by the President considering his experience in the world of finance and investment.

He pledged to hit the ground running and bring his wealth of private sector experience to bear in the discharge of his mandate.

The minister commended the outgone acting Permanent Secretary, Alhaji Ajiaya Mammam and the entire staff for effectively running the ministry in the past six months.

He solicited for their cooperation and support with a promise to work with them for the realisation of the Federal Government’s change agenda in investment and industrial sectors.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the minister of state, Aisha Abubakar, later reported at her office where she was also received by officials.

The permanent secretary, Alhaji Aliyu Bisalla, gave her an overview of the ministry’s mandate and pledged the cooperation and support of the entire staff.

Speaking with newsmen shortly after a tour of some offices under her purview, Abubakar also pledged to give her best in moving the ministry forward.

She said, ``We are very excited not just with the opportunity given us to serve but also with the choice of ministry.

``With the private and public sector experiences we both have, we will use the platform of the ministry and its parastatals to move the country forward in line Mr President’s change agenda.’’

NAN reports that Enelamah is a medical doctor and until his appointment was co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of African Capital Alliance, a leading private equity firm in Africa.

He has wealth of experience in investment banking, having worked for Goldman Sachs in London and New York and Arthur Anderson in Nigeria.

Abubakar was a senior manager at National Pension Commission (PenCom) until her appointment. (NAN)