The absence of the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, yesterday forced the organisers of the annual Abuja Auto Fair to postpone the ceremony, as the minister was expected to play a key role by declaring open the event, currently holding at the International Conference Centre annex, Abujaa.
Checks by our correspondent also revealed that no representative of the Minister was on hand to perform the function. It is not clear whether the Minister failed to send a delegate or the delegate failed to appear.The minister reportedly travelled to South Africa along with top officials of the ministry and its agencies.
Otunba Adebayo was said to have gone for the 2nd Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) 2021 holding in South Africa from November 15 to November 21.
Industry players who gathered at the Abuja programme on Tuesday were shocked at the turn of events as the minister had during a meeting with the organisers of the Abuja fair and industry stakeholders in his office, given a firm commitment to personally attend the opening ceremony.
But he was said to have left for the South African fair a day before the Abuja event without asking any official in his ministry to represent him. Tuesday’s expected opening event in Abuja was abruptly cancelled, and re-scheduled to today, Wednesday.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR