It was clear that morning that something great had happened in Delta State and the people were ready to celebrate it. Under a long line of conical canopies stretching the 400-metre-length of the facility, they sat waiting. Behind them, over the walled fence, assorted flags fluttered in the gentle winds a few metres from the Benin-Asaba Expressway. Facing the people were well-built, colourful units of production lines where various items are produced.
As the public address system came alive, signalling the kick-off of the event, nimble-footed, white-clad female traditional performers danced into the open space, their male companions following and flaunting their masculinity in arm-swinging, foot-stamping motions.
It was the inauguration of the state’s Micro, Small and Medium Entrepreneurship Centre, a multi-billion-naira leatherworks and shoes factory, where no fewer than 4,000 apprentices will be trained in various trades every year. That is a massive effort in tackling jobs challenges.
The state government built the centre with the technical partnership of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO).
The Centre, located at Issele-Uku, Aniocha North Local Government Area, boasts a wide variety of production lines. All kinds of shoes and leatherworks are produced there, ranging from school footwear to sandals, slippers and formal foot-gear. Bags, belts and other leather-based items also roll out of the factory.
Former state governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, who flagged off the facility, called it a “wealth-creating” centre, which can provide multi-sector jobs for the state’s teeming youths.
The traditional institution represented by Prince Dominic Egbune, the regent of Oligbo kingdom, where the centre is located, labelled it a “unique project…a trading centre and jobs scheme.” The traditional ruler said the establishment of the skills centre and its prospects “can never be forgotten”. He further demonstrated his pleasure by presenting Uduaghan with a giant elephant tusk, said to represent masculinity.
Aniocha North youths savoured the day, too, marching past dignitaries and displaying their thank-you-Uduaghan banners. Women from the Anioma ethnic group, distinct in their green gele headgear, equally took their turn to show their joy, rounding off their session with practised dance steps.
Many saw the skills centre as one of the best projects of the Uduaghan administration, perhaps the icing on his cake as he bowed out after eight years. He too said it was good way to exit government.
The Centre is coordinated by the state Commissioner for Poverty Alleviation, Dr Antonia Ashiedu, who is also Executive Secretary, Delta State Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Agency (DMSMA). She took the governor and other dignitaries round the facility, explaining that the skills centre is much more than a shoemaking and leatherworks factory.
She said the facility also “contains various industrial components” such as “palm-wine brewery, bakery and confectioneries, flour processing, fruit juice processing, ethnic clothing (akwa-ocha) weaving, jewellery and millinery.”
That much was clear as she and the dignitaries explored the sprawling facility. They examined shoes and leatherworks produced by clients of the agency. They saw various gadgets installed to produce sundry items.
At the gas-powered bakery, a neat space which could pass for a modest living room, oven-fresh loaves moved from hand to hand in a free-for-all treat. Uduaghan requested for several loaves which were promptly packaged.
The dignitaries saw the modern looms for the famous akwa-ocha fabric, popular with the Anioma ethnic group.
At the tailoring unit, guests marvelled at the quality of the products which ranged from school uniforms to neatly-finished everyday wear, and suits, which two staff of DMSMA proudly modelled. You could have taken them for fresh orders from overseas.
The DMSMA evolved last year from the Delta State Micro Credit Programme or DMCP, which lifted the state’s job profile through interest-free loans to thousands of low-income entrepreneurs. Clients of the programme obtained the loans through their cluster groups, enabling them to pool their resources together and share one another’s expertise. Their output increased remarkably, as did their income, helping them to better meet family and other obligations.
Uduaghan always praised the jobs scheme, saying it was one platform on which his administration addressed food security challenges, provided jobs and tackled youth restiveness. He also praised Dr Ashiedu who has managed both the DMCP and DMSMA from inception to wide acclaim.
Anytime you find a job too difficult to handle, give it to a woman, is how the ex-governor appreciated Ashiedu’s efforts.
Those efforts were evident in the shoemaking and leatherworks centre. Only a year ago, the venue of the facility was a stretch of lush-green forest off the Benin-Asaba Expressway. Through Ashiedu’s trademark commitment, with site workers sometimes toiling till late night, the project was delivered on time. Standards were not compromised.
As the centre took off, many Delta residents said they looked forward to better days ahead, with UNIDO staff handling the technical aspects of the centre, and Giorgio Armani, the famous Italian designer, partnering in the akwa-ocha cloth-line. Other designers have also shown interest in collaborating with the state.
Uduaghan and Ashiedu have told the people that much. And with UNIDO staff seizing every opportunity to ensure that everything is fine, Delta people can see that their leaders mean what they say. Things are looking up for the state and its people.
At the flag-off of the centre that morning, two representatives of UNIDO were on hand not only to praise the ex-governor and Ashiedu, but also to say that their organisation has become a part of the state’s jobs plan. Anioma people and the rest of Deltans had cause to celebrate.
