News An African Democratic Congress(ADC) presidential aspirant, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, on Wednesday, met young Nigerian entrepreneurs, promising to rebuild the economy by supporting small businesses and expanding opportunities.
Speaking at the consultative meeting in Abuja, .r Hayatu-Deen said SMEs remained Nigeria’s economic backbone, creating most jobs and sustaining millions of households.
He, however, expressed the regret that struggling businesses had continued to weaken national stability.
The presidential aspirant said that discussions revealed recurring concerns over rising operational costs, shrinking profit margins and deep uncertainty threatening business sustainability.
He said that entrepreneurs had been lamenting escalating expenses in energy, transportation and raw materials, adding that it had continued to outpace business growth and profitability.
Drawing from years of supporting enterprise growth, he said that he understood both the vast potential of SMEs and the structural obstacles limiting progress.
According to him, businesses flourish under supportive policies but struggle severely when economic conditions remain hostile and unpredictable.
Hayatu-Deen said that his vision was on building a productive economy that would reward enterprise, restore investor confidence, strengthen security, and ease pressures on businesses.
He identified insecurity as a major barrier to recovery, noting that farmers, traders, manufacturers, transporters and investors could not thrive under fear and uncertainty.
The presidential aspirant pledged targetted reforms in energy, infrastructure, taxation, finance access and regulation to significantly reduce business costs and unlock growth.
He said that Nigerian businesses should innovate, hire, and expand, rather than merely struggling for survival amid rising costs and insecurity.
Hayatu-Deen stated that his presidential ambition was driven by a commitment to building a safer nation, create jobs, lower business costs and expand prosperity.
NAN