Yolamchi Ukaga, Aba
Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has urged Nigerians to take pride in patronising made-in-Nigeria products as a way of boosting the economy.
Ikpeazu made the call while answering questions from newsmen at the Footwear Academy, Aba where he went to enrol as a student of the academy.
He observed that except Nigerians endorsed their own products and took pride in them, they would be merely supporting the economic growth of other nations.
The governor stressed the need for the country to leverage on the strength of its population as ready market for Nigerian products, adding that there was need for Nigerians to take the lead in consuming their products to enable others follow.
According to him, Aba can compete with the Chinese and other world leaders in the shoe industry and expressed the hope that, soon, no one will ignore the shoes produced in Aba.
The governor, who expressed joy at what he saw at the academy, promised to give government impetus to the academy for its growth.
He promised that land would be provided to enable the academy embark on major expansion to ensure that more students were given the opportunity to enrol and get trained.
The governor applauded the intellectual dimension the academy was bringing into shoe making and stressed the need for stronger collaboration between it and the Enyimba Automated Shoe Factory.
Mr Bentley Chukwuemeka, co-founder, Footwear Academy, assured the governor of the commitment of the firm to produce quality footwear as well as well-trained hands with a view to sustaining the place of Aba, as a destination of choice in the shoe making business.
Footwear Academy, owned by Bentley and his wife, are into shoe production and training of youths in shoe production.
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