The Managing Director, May &Baker Nigeria Plc, has called on the Federal Government to enact urgent reforms in the areas of security, power supply and infrastructure, to make the country a conductive environment for pharmaceutical investment.
Ajah, who underscored the importance of a conducive environment for investors, decried the present state of the nation, saying Nigeria is far from what it used to be, a situation that calls for immediate reforms in affected areas.
“Nigeria needs to be different from what it is now, especially in the area of insecurity. ” he said.
The May & Baker boss made this disclosure at a media parley in his office during the presentation of the 2026 Excellence in Leadership Award plaque to him by the Akinjide Adeosun Foundation.
The Excellence in Leadership awardee explained what leadership is about in the pharmaceutical company, citing examples of several calls he received on a daily basis from interested investors, but said the reality of the state of the nation makes them think otherwise.
“I currently have no fewer than 10 companies from America and Europe that want to explore partnerships with us,” he said. “There is significant interest in investing in Nigeria, particularly because Europe is relatively stagnant and America is facing economic challenges.”
He continued, “For investors looking at Africa, Nigeria remains a major destination. This is an opportunity for Nigeria to attract investment. However, when we explain the challenges, including infrastructure and insecurity, some investors become uncertain about whether investment is still viable.”
The May & Baker exceptional leader charged the government to rise to the occasion in resolving the bottlenecks to pharmaceutical investment as identified, in order to take advantage of the current interest in the country to build the Gross Domestic Product.
According to him, the government needs to do as much as possible to address insecurity and infrastructure challenges. Fortunately, he said some investors who have previously done business in Nigeria understand that Nigerians always find a way to overcome challenges, and they remain interested.
Narrating how unsafe the country was at a time, he said, “There are some parts of the country where we do not allow our representatives to travel because of insecurity. At the peak of the insecurity, for instance, there were areas in Jos where it would have been irresponsible to send our representatives because they could have been targeted.”
He emohasised the importance of arresting the situation in good time before it gets out of hand.
“The issues of power, infrastructure and all of that are a problem. In fact, the next one we are seeing now is people, most of our pharmacists, are running out of the country. So, you keep looking for a good person to hold the position; it is difficult.
“And I think these are things the country needs to know. The leaders of the country need to know. If countries keep collapsing, then we are not going anywhere,” he reiterated.
Asked how soon he felt the government could respond to these challenges, he expressed optimism in the Nigerian government and people, linking it with faith in God, which he described as a core value of the company, noting that the combination of those elements can fast-track the needed change in the country.
“However, we must continue making progress and address the challenges of insecurity and infrastructure. A conducive business environment is essential for attracting investment. Nigeria needs to be different from what it is today, particularly in the area of security,” he asserted.
Speaking on the performance of May & Baker products in the market, he said they had done very well over the past year, while aiming at higher targets in the nearest future.
“We recently concluded our strategy session, although I cannot disclose the details yet because we are still awaiting feedback.”
Looking at the last five years, he disclosed that the company had quadrupled its revenue, while he had challenged his team that, over the next three years, they should double their current revenue, and they believe it is achievable.
“The key question is where we should invest, given the current economic conditions. I believe the future is bright because the gap created by the exit or downsizing of many multinational pharmaceutical companies in Nigeria has not yet been fully filled,” he said.
