The deputy speaker of the federal House of Representatives, Rt Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu CFR, hosted Dr. Nnena Njoku and her team of investors and partners, accompanied by Dr. Bethany Hall-Long, the immediate past Lieutenant Governor of Delaware, in his office at the National Assembly.
Rt Hon. Kalu, who has served as deputy speaker of the House of Representatives of Nigeria since 2023, welcomed the delegation and focused his address on women in leadership and support for the bill for women in legislative offices.
Dr. Nnena Njoku, a renowned real estate developer, business woman and philanthropist, led the delegation.
She is also the financial secretary of the Real Estate Developers Association Nigeria REDAN and an expert in the mining sector in Nigeria.
Her partner, Dr. Bethany Hall-Long, served as Delaware’s Lieutenant Governor beginning in 2017.
She became Governor on January 7, 2024 when Governor John Carney resigned to become Mayor of Wilmington.
She served in the Delaware House of Representatives from 2002-2008 and in the Delaware Senate from 2008-2017.
Dr. Nnena Njoku spoke about the efforts of the deputy speaker in areas of gender, empowerment and skill development.
Her team also includes businessmen, politicians, and investors.
Speaking with press men after the visit, Dr. Nnena Njoku highlighted key aspects of the meeting. She said the meeting focused more on rare earth minerals, mining and solid minerals.
Dr. Nnena also said this was a shift towards a closer relationship with the United States of America, particularly the state of Delaware.
Dr. Bethany Hall-Long also stressed the need for deeper collaboration in areas of energy exploration, security, ICT, education and healthcare.
In her statement she said, “This would be my first international visit out of the United States and I chose to visit Nigeria. I am being hosted by Dr. Nnena and her partners here in Nigeria. I am glad to see that all we read about insecurity in Nigeria is not what it is here on ground and I would like to ask partners around the world to seek business opportunities in Africa.”
