Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Nigerian Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has called on Jung Won-ju, the Chairman of Daewoo Engineering and Construction, to invest in the tourism and development of the territory. He specifically urged the construction of a five-star hotel in Abuja to enhance its global competitiveness in the luxury hospitality sector.
During a courtesy visit to Abuja by the Chairman and the Managing Director of Daewoo E&C Nigeria, Nyesom Wike emphasized the significance of strengthening the ties between South Korea and Nigeria. He underscored his commitment to the development of Abuja as a premier tourist destination and stressed the need to translate discussions into tangible development initiatives.
“We are talking about FCT. One of the best things you can do is tourism. And in that case, the only five-star hotel we can talk about here is Transcorp Hilton. So, there is no competition, nothing. Like I said, it is important that we discuss, and people know that something will come out of that discussion. For me as the FCT Minister, my interest is to develop Abuja, to make it more attractive as a tourist centre.”
Furthermore, Wike expressed his intent to coordinate with the Korean Ambassador for a visit to South Korea, where they would engage with the construction company to finalize the project details and ensure prompt action. He assured the Chairman of a seamless process, with the FCT Ministry handling all internal matters such as land and approvals, ensuring a swift progression once the memorandum of understanding is agreed upon.
“All those will be taken care of by us. Everything internal; the land, the approvals, everything, you can be sure the moment we sign the memorandum of understanding, and we agree, we will hand it over to you. Any impediment is from you, no impediment will come from us.
“We are also going to write to you so that we can concretise. We will make sure that before the end of the year, we should be able to visit Korea, particularly Daewoo. So, we will write the Ambassador of Korea to let him know, and then write to you as the Managing Director, so we will be able to finetune it. That’s the way I will be happy that there is something we can take home.”
In response, Chairman Won-ju conveyed his gratitude for the warm reception and assured the Minister of Daewoo’s commitment to promptly address any challenges encountered in facilitating the partnership between the company and the FCT.
“Even though there will be a lot of challenges for doing business between you and us, somehow, we are ready to overcome every challenge, and our MD of Nigeria here, will fully support the procedure to be realised as soon as possible. We are willing to comply with your demands and your guidance”.
