By TOKI MABOGUNJE
It is most heart-warming for me to welcome you first to the Lagos State Special Day eventat the ongoing 2021 Lagos International Trade Fair (LITF), and secondly to the official closing ceremony of the 35th edition of the Lagos International Trade Fair. May I, on behalf of the Trade Promotion Board, Council and entire Membership of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) express our profound appreciation to the Lagos State Government, for the continuous support of the LITF, especially towards the success of the 2021 edition, that is ending today.
It is to the glory of Almighty God that the exciting events and business interactions of the past ten days at the 2021 Lagos International Trade Fair have come to a successful end. We are now on the threshold of drawing the curtain on this great annual event. We are grateful to the Almighty God for sparing our lives to witness this memorable event and for making the Fair a success story.
Let me acknowledge the remarkable cooperation and support we received from all concerned as well as the peace that prevailed since the beginning of the event, ten days ago. It is heart-warming to note that participants had rewarding business interactions during the fair. I commend and appreciate their resilience and optimism. It is our hope that the governments at all levels would continue to address the issues of enabling environment in the country, especially as regards infrastructures, insecurity, and right policies. We need to do these in order to fully harness the huge enterprising resource of domestic and foreign investors for the diversification of our economy and the welfare of our people.
I would like to thank His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR for honouring our invitation to the opening ceremony of the 2021 Lagos International Trade Fair and for declaring the fair open. He was ably represented by the Honourable Minister for Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, CON. May I also express our appreciation to the Minister in his own right for his support and encouragement.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to specially appreciate the Governor of Lagos State, Mr BabajideSanwo-Olu. We applaud the disposition and commitment of Mr Governor to the promotion of close collaboration between the Lagos State Government and the organised Private Sector in Lagos State. We also appreciate his inclusive approach to governance. I must also thank the Honourable Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, Hon (Mrs.) Lola Akande for her continued support and encouragement.
I would like to express our profound gratitude to all the government agencies that provided useful and important services, which facilitated the staging of the 2021 Lagos International Trade Fair. We appreciate the cooperation of Lagos State Safety Commission for their collaboration and support in ensuring the observance of safety protocols at this fair.Let me also express our profound appreciation to our official partners and sponsors. They all will be better acknowledged by the Chairman of the Trade Promotion Board in his vote of thanks.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, I wish to place on record the impressive role played by the members of the Trade Promotion Board of the Lagos Chamber, under the able leadership of the Chairman, Mr Gabriel Idahosa, FCA. The result of their commitment is the remarkable outcome that we have all witnessed for the past ten days. It is no doubt a very demanding project.
On behalf of Council and members of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, I thank the Chairman and the members of the Board for their dedication, hard work and sacrifice. I would also like to place on record our appreciation to the secretariat of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
In concluding this address, I wish to say that despite the numerous challenges that go with hosting a large exhibition like this, we have endeavoured to ensure a hitch-free and successful Fair. However, as in most human endeavours, there may have been some areas for improvement. We have taken note of such as feedback into the strategy for the 2022 edition. We look forward to a better, bigger, and richer 2022 Lagos International Trade Fair.
. Being ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE LAGOS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, MRS. TOKI MABOGUNJEAT THE CLOSING CEREMONY OF THE 2021 LAGOS INTERNATIONAL TRADE FAIR ON SUNDAY, 14THNOVEMBER 2021 AT THE TAFAWA BALEWA SQUARE, LAGOS.
