By Eyo Nsima
A former board member of Seplat Energy, Arumah Otei, yesterday, canvassed support for Small and Medium Scale Enterprises, SMEs in Nigeria.

Speaking in Abuja at Seplat Energy global entrepreneurship programme, she pointed out that SMEs contribute about 70 percent of gross domestic product of many nations.
She said: “Nigerians don’t want handouts. They just want you to create an enabling environment and if you can’t create a living environment they want you to just step aside so that we can progress and leadership. Our government has not done a good job.

“But I think everybody recognizes that and I hope that they will focus on doing a good job. First, the government can’t do it alone. Second, small and medium scale enterprises are the backbone of any economy. I don’t know what the data is for our country. But 70 percent of the global income of GDP is contributed by SMEs. 70 percent of employment is hosted by SMEs.”

Similarly, Seplat’s Director External Relations and Sustainability, Dr. Chioma Nwachukwu disclosed that the company has trained and equipped 55 young Nigerians in the past three years.

She said: “The graduates’ ability to act on their ideas is supported through equipment funding, as well as mentoring. This year, we are celebrating the 23 successful graduates who received a cumulative funding of N16.5 million in seed money. Through this programme, we aim to enhance their lives by giving them the opportunity to forge their own way and have a say in the future of their country”.