New York, September 23, 2025
On the elegant evening of September 23rd, Cavista Holdings hosted a gala dinner at the iconic Rainbow Room, Rockefeller Plaza, on the fringes of the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). The event, themed “Celebrating Business & Investment in Nigeria,” brought together a constellation of Nigeria’s political and economic heavyweights.
While the guest list brimmed with luminaries, including Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, Governor Mohammed Umar Bago of Niger State, Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State, former Ekiti Governor Kayode Fayemi and former Central Bank Governor Muhammad Sanusi.
Otunba Bimbo Ashiru whose presence provided a distinct anchor. His reputation as a bridge between commerce and governance, as well as his strategic approach to investment, lent the evening a tone of forward momentum rather than mere celebration.
In his remarks, Ashiru underscored Nigeria’s immense latent potential. He spoke poignantly of the need for purpose-driven capital, for partnerships that do more than commoditize resources, but rather catalyze value creation and deliver sustainable outcomes for communities. He challenged both domestic and international investors to transcend transactional mindsets, advocating instead for stakeholder-centered investment frameworks that leverage Nigeria’s human capital, natural endowments, and entrepreneurial ingenuity.
The gala was more than a social occasion: it was a stage for persuasive messaging and high-level alignment. In welcoming participants, Cavista Holdings’ Chairman, Niyi John Olajide, reiterated the group’s approach: “Nigeria is not only a future market. It is the present-day frontier of value creation and impact”.
Speeches and panel sessions that followed emphasized three converging imperatives:
Unlocking capital flows into agriculture, infrastructure, energy and technology;
State-level reforms to enhance regulatory certainty and ease of doing business; and
Alignment with the Renewed Hope Agenda, which advocates macroeconomic stability, inclusion, and food security.
The panel discussion, moderated by Cavista’s Executive Director for Government and External Affairs, Olumide Olayomi, featured Governors Dauda Lawal (Zamfara), Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and Mohammed Umar Bago, who spoke to state-level opportunities and investment readiness.
In his own interventions, Ashiru urged the governors and policymakers to think beyond short-term incentives, and instead imagine how each state might position itself as a nexus of industrial value chains, whether in agro-processing, logistics hubs, renewable energy, or tech-enabled services.
