Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chukwudi Enebeli, has called for the establishment of a one-stop investment support centre in Delta State, saying the initiative would remove bureaucratic bottlenecks, strengthen investor confidence and make the state more attractive to local and foreign investments.
Enebeli made the proposal during a panel session at the 2026 Delta State Economic and Investment Summit in Asaba, where he argued that investment promotion alone was insufficient without institutional mechanisms to help investors navigate Nigeria’s regulatory and legal environment.
The senior lawyer said the proposed centre should bring together legal practitioners, financial advisers, land administration experts and key government agencies under one platform to provide investors with coordinated guidance before and after establishing businesses.
According to him, many investment projects suffer avoidable delays, increased costs and legal disputes because investors often lack early access to professional advice on statutory requirements.
He identified land acquisition, building approvals, environmental compliance, taxation, anti-money laundering regulations and other legal obligations as critical areas where investors require timely guidance to reduce risks and improve business confidence.
Enebeli also urged the Delta State Government to engage qualified indigenous professionals in investment-related transactions, including legal documentation, property acquisition, financing arrangements and public-private partnership agreements.
He said involving Delta professionals would not only improve the quality of investment services but also create employment opportunities, build local expertise and ensure that a greater share of investment benefits remains within the state.
The SAN further recommended that the proposed investment support centre should provide mediation and arbitration services to help businesses resolve commercial disputes quickly and reduce reliance on prolonged court processes.
“The question is not when an investor needs a lawyer.
The question is how early they need one, and the answer is now,” Enebeli said.
His proposal emerged as one of the notable recommendations from the summit, where policymakers, investors and business leaders examined practical measures to improve Delta State’s investment climate and position the state for increased private sector participation.
