Obasanjo, Jonathan, Masisi, Utomi Applaud Akwa Ibom’s Investment Climate

Former Nigerian Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, former Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi, and business mogul and politician Pat Utomi have commended Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Eno for creating a peaceful environment for investment in the state.

The commendations came during the unveiling of the C54 News Global Streaming Dome in Uyo, where Eno declared Akwa Ibom a destination of choice for global businesses and institutions.

Represented by his deputy, Senator Akon Eyakenyi, the governor described the establishment of the global digital news platform as a welcome addition to the state’s growing investment profile and reaffirmed his administration’s readiness to provide the necessary support.

He said C54 News made the right choice by siting its studio in Akwa Ibom, which he described as clean, serene, peaceful and secure, with resourceful and knowledgeable people who are among the country’s highest consumers of digital information.

Eno said his administration was deliberately positioning the state as a leading tourism destination and investment hub through strategic infrastructure development, improved connectivity, hospitality and a business-friendly environment.

Highlighting the potential benefits of hosting the media organisation, he noted that global media institutions had historically raised the international profiles of their host cities, citing Al Jazeera in Doha and CNN in Atlanta, Georgia.

He expressed confidence that C54 News would similarly help project Akwa Ibom to a global audience.

“Akwa Ibom is ready for C54 News Channel, and we are excited to have you here. We believe your presence will also help put our state on the global map, which we are thankfully laying the building blocks for. Akwa Ibom State is ready for the world,” he said.

The governor reiterated his administration’s media-friendly disposition and commitment to projecting what he described as the Akwa Ibom story of growth, development and exceptionalism.

Delivering the keynote address, former Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi described the launch of C54 News Global Streaming Dome as a strategic investment in Africa’s capacity to own and tell its story.

He said the continent needed to move from being the subject of global conversations to actively shaping its narratives.

Masisi stressed that credible and verified information was essential to connecting African citizens, businesses and governments, adding that C54 News could help bridge the information gap by taking African stories to the continent and the wider world.

“Africans need credible, verified information to connect citizens, businesses, and governments. C54 News will bridge that gap by taking African stories to Africans and to the world,” he said.

He cautioned that the platform’s long-term success would depend not merely on technology or audience reach, but on its ability to earn and retain public trust through accuracy, independence, fairness and integrity.

Masisi urged Africans to tell their stories confidently, develop local talent and work together to build a more connected and prosperous continent.

In his remarks as Father of the Day, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo said the launch of C54 News addressed a longstanding imbalance in global media narratives, in which African perspectives had often received limited attention.

He expressed optimism that platforms such as C54 News would enable African leaders and citizens to learn from the continent’s perspectives and documentaries. He also stressed the importance of credible data to Africa’s development and thanked the organisers for the initiative.

In his goodwill message, former President Goodluck Jonathan described C54 News as a timely investment in media and technology, commending its vision of connecting all 54 African countries to global audiences through news and documentaries.

Jonathan urged African media organisations to help reshape perceptions of the continent by accurately telling its stories and highlighting its innovation, enterprise, culture, resources and opportunities.

Also speaking, the Founder of the Centre for Values in Leadership, Professor Pat Utomi, who chaired the event, outlined the benefits of establishing indigenous global media institutions in Africa.

He described C54 News as a historic platform for the continent to reclaim its narrative and connect its people, industries and ideas.

Earlier, C54 News Founder and Chief Executive Officer Idris Usman said the platform was established to connect Africa through journalism, culture and ideas.

Usman urged Africans to see the continent not merely as a collection of countries, but as an interconnected landscape of markets, industries, cultures, ideas and opportunities.

South Africa’s Consul-General to Nigeria, Professor Bobby Moroe, also commended the initiative as a bold pan-African step towards strengthening bilateral relations and continental unity through the media.

C54 News is a 24-hour global news streaming platform focused on news, documentaries and data. Headquartered in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, it aims to tell the African story from a global perspective.

The establishment of the platform is expected to strengthen Akwa Ibom’s profile as a destination for media, technology and other investments, while creating opportunities for greater international visibility and economic growth.

Dignitaries at the event included members of the National and State Houses of Assembly, members of the State Executive Council, traditional rulers, captains of industry, media executives and members of the diplomatic community.