Nigerian Army Orders 50,000 Shoes From Aba Shoemakers =ABA MADE

 
In furtherance of the federal government’s policy of ‘Buy Made In Nigeria’, the Nigerian Army has placed order for 50,000 pairs of shoes to be produced and supplied by young shoemakers in Aba, Abia State which will be used by its soldiers. Before now, the Army had been importing most of the footwear used by its troops. The commercial town of Aba is famous for its range of locally made leather and footwear.
This cheery news was disclosed in Lagos at the weekend by the State Governor, Dr Victor Ikpeazu, who also said that plans were on to replicate these orders from other arms of the military and the police, as well as the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and paramilitary agencies of government.
Already, the state government, as part of its commitment to boosting the production capacity of these artisans, has acquired a large expanse of land near Ogbor Hill, a surbub of the Aba metropolis, and approved it for the construction of a Leather Industry Village for the exclusive use of shoe, bag and belt makers.
The governor stressed that with the encouragement the shoe manufacturers are beginning to receive from both the federal and state governments, emphasis would now be placed on quality control to ensure that these leather products meet minimum acceptable standards.
Governor Ikpeazu expressed optimism that this development has the potential to expand the shoe and leather products industry in the state, create jobs for the teeming unemployed youths as well as enhance its internally generated revenue profile.
The Nigerian Air Force, also as part of the ongoing drive to look inwards by patronising locally made products, had signed a memorandum of understanding with Innoson Motors, based in Nnewi in Anambra State, for the production of spare parts for its fleet.
It will be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari had, while speaking at the just concluded 22nd Nigerian Economic Summit, implored Nigerians to patronize made in Nigeria goods so as to enable the nation to move from import dependence to self-sufficiency in local production and become an export-led economy in goods and services.
Source: Leadership.