Former Anambra Governor Peter Obi has expressed sadness over the exit of multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company, GlaxoSmithKline commonly called GSK from Nigeria after 51 years of operations.
Obi expressed his sadness in a series of tweets on Friday saying their reason for leaving is more disheartening as they no longer perceive the country as a prospect.
He said: “Today, I was saddened to hear that GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), is exiting Nigeria after 51 years of operation. Their reason for leaving Nigeria is even more disheartening; they no longer perceive a prospect for the country as a business environment that would be anchored on productivity. We have painfully come to that point in our nation’s journey where multinationals are leaving the country and the local ones are closing down. These are some of the consequences of the cumulative poor management of our economy.”
Speaking on how the exit of GSK would throw more people back to unemployment, Obi said, “The multinationals that are leaving our country have not only created jobs but have created immeasurable training that contributed immensely to our human capital development over the years. Now they are leaving our shores one after the other. GSK which has a manufacturing facility in Agbara, Ogun State on over 25 hectares of land had directly employed over 400 highly technical workers like pharmacists, microbiologists, biochemists, chemists, dentists, doctors etc, and also employed over 1000 other staff. It indirectly provided jobs and business opportunities for thousands of Nigerians across the nation. They are now leaving all these behind, and pushing more people back into unemployment. I have consistently maintained that in turning our nation around, we must move the economy from consumption to production, part of which included encouraging and supporting local and foreign investments, like GSK, in the country.”
Source: Twitter | PeterObi
