SENATE President, Dr. Ahmed Lawan has called for the patronage of made-in-Nigeria products as the country battles the effect of the global effect of the continued rise in dollar.
Lawan stated this in Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State during a state visit to commission Enyimba Automated Shoe Company (ENASCO) built by the Governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s administration.
According to the Senate President this is a period that Nigeria should focus more on products that will serve as substitution to imported goods, adding that Nigeria is at a time when there is no need spending money on foreign exchange.
“ENASCO is one project that anyone who sees or hears about will tell you that there is mastery of vision here because the future belongs to our youths.
“The stability of any community, any society or country depends on the opportunity given to the youths to pour out their energy into productive use.
“This place will not only be the epic centre of automated shoe production in Nigeria, but in the entire West Africa.
“It is the mission of the federal government to collaborate with state governments to provide employment opportunities and environment where the leaders of tomorrow should work and enjoy the opportunities available to them to earn a very decent living and have great promising future.
“For us to have a prosperous country, we must embark on massive import substitution. We cannot continue to import everything. We don’t even have foreign exchange any more.
“So this project in addition to providing in the local communities and in Abia in direct and indirect ways, the leather industries in Kano and other places will also get employment opportunities.
“This project deserves every possible support from every federal government agencies; Ministry of Industry, Bank of Industry and the Central Bank of Nigeria must be looking at their direction.
“What governor Ikpeazu has done is to say that nothing is impossible. Despite the lean resources to states, you have been able to come up with this kind of project. It shows how prudent, efficient and economic that you are with the resources available to you. Abia is lucky to have a governor like Okezie Ikpeazu.”
In his speech Governor Ikpeazu who described the project as a dream come true stated that his administration was pushed to think outside the box in the face of the global meltdown in 2015 facing the country at the inception of his administration.
Ikpeazu who commended President Buhari for supporting the growth of small businesses in the state through the establishment of Ariaria Gas Turbine Electricity Plant in Aba noted that with constant power supply, small businesses will thrive.
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