Leo Stan Ekeh, chairman of Zinox Group, has described President Bola Tinubu as a courageous and investment-friendly visionary whose reforms have strengthened investor confidence and repositioned Nigeria’s economy.

Mr Ekeh said in a statement on Friday that the president demonstrated courage by commencing reforms immediately after assuming office.

He said any delay would have further shrunk the economy and completely wiped out investors’ confidence in Nigeria.

He referenced endorsements by the World Bank and comments by the director-general of the World Trade Organisation, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, as validation that the reforms are progressive and credible.

Mr Ekeh said major multinationals in Africa’s ICT ecosystem are increasing their investments in Nigeria and collaborating more with indigenous players. He added that this was evident in the growing contribution of the ICT sector to the nation’s gross domestic product.

“Sentiments aside, President Tinubu is a well-exposed visionary leader. He is investment-friendly, he is courageous, and he is a good team player.

“This has impacted the brave decisions he has taken, and I am happy that global bodies such as the World Bank and the WTO are talking about it. I have known the president for many years, and he has remained consistent in his commitment to national development. I speak here as an entrepreneur, not a politician.

“I don’t play politics. I am not a politician, and I will not be one. I play in the digital space, which is the enabler of development, and I am happy doing what I’m doing,” he said.

Mr Tinubu, as governor of Lagos, supported the launch of the Zinox range of digital products in 2001, noting that the president was futuristic and driven by the vision of a digitally driven economy.

Mr Ekeh also reflected on his return to Nigeria from the United Kingdom after quitting his postgraduate programme, explaining that he chose to return because he strongly believed in the country and its opportunities.

He said his dream was to propagate what he called digital democracy in a nation that was wholly analogue at the time.

He stated that after digitising segments of the media industry, his company expanded into oil and gas, the financial sector and the public sector, impacting e-governance initiatives.

Mr Ekeh added that the Computerise Nigeria Initiative ensured that homes, educational institutions and ministries, departments and agencies without access to computers were equipped and trained to enhance productivity.

Advising young entrepreneurs, he said entrepreneurship anywhere in the world was tough, but with patience, perseverance and commitment, they would push through the veil.

On politics, Mr Ekeh said he had stayed away despite opportunities to succeed in it, maintaining that politics was not his calling, although he supported progressive, idea-driven politicians across the country.

Mr Ekeh is a Nigerian businessman who has scored several firsts in the Nigerian ICT sector.

One of his first acts was the establishment of Zinox Technologies Limited in 2001 to manufacture Zinox Computers, Nigeria’s first internationally certified-branded computers.

(NAN)