President Tinubu has arrived in Japan for the Tokyo International Conference on African Development. I hope he has a wish-list that looks something like this

Ayo Akinfe

[1] Japan has established itself as the world’s automobile workshop. We want Nigeria to be the first choice overseas factory location for every Japanese car manufacturer

[2] This eighth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (Ticad) is about Japanese investors looking at the investment opportunities in Africa. This conference was started in 1993 with the aim of promoting high-level policy dialogue between African leaders and development partners. If Japan is sincere about our relationship, we want at least two electric car assembly plants in Nigeria by the end of 2026

[3] At the sixth summit held in Kenya in 2016, Japan actually set itself the target of matching Chinese investment in Africa. President Tinubu needs to hold them to account on this

[4] In 2004, Japan was the fourth largest trade partner with sub-Saharan Africa, with two-way trade valued at $11.7bn, according to the IMF. However, now, Japan has fallen to number six, having been overtaken by India and the United Arab Emirates. We need this reversed immediately

[5] With China now having overtaken Japan as the world's second largest economy, Japan needs Africa's iron ore, bauxite, aluminium, gold, crude oil, gas, farmland, tin, copper, etc if she wants to revive her economic fortunes. President Tinubu should sign a Japanese Belt and Road Initiative agreement with them

[6] I hope President Tinubu took several state governors with him. They need to negotiate robust infrastructural investment-for-raw material-supply deals with Japanese conglomerates on the sidelines of this conference

[7] Mother nature can be very ruthless but its principles are very straightforward - Grow or die. Nigeria needs to get investment out of this Japanese summit if we want to arrest the growing spate of unemployment, kidnapping, herdsmen murders, terrorism, etc. This may be out last chance before the matter spirals out of control

[8] For instance, Governor Babajide Sanwoolu needs to woo Japanese investors to build an underground railway network in Lagos. They should also end the Apapa port congestion wahala by constructing rail links and decongest the Lagos metropolis as happened in London in the 19th century

[9] The Benue State governor for his part needs to tell the Japanese they can get 5m tonnes of Benue yam a year for their animal feed industry in return for building a 1,000MW hydro-electric power plant at Makurdi. Kwara State’s Governor Abdulrasaq needs to offer the Japanese 10m tonnes of sugarcane in exchange for them building an ethanol plant at Offa, while Governor Zulum can offer them a 99 year land lease for up to a quarter of Borno State in exchange with Japan opening the world's largest cattle ranch and at least four commercial farms in his terrorist-ridden state

[10] Bear in mind Japan took engineering to its limits in 1994 with they built the Kansai International Airport on an artificial island in the middle of Osaka Bay. They blew up three mountains to get the rock for this project for heaven's sake. President Tinubu needs to ask the Japanese to come and built us two deep sea ports at say Ikot-Abasi and Brass and then get them to dredge the Rivers Niger and Benue. We all know that can do this with ease in record time. All we have to offer them in return is raw materials

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