Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has made an order for made-in-Aba shoes to encourage local manufacturers in the country.
Made-in-Aba shoes have been said to be of high quality and fine finishing, comparable to those made by some of the world’s top brand shoe makers.
Obasanjo reportedly made the order through the Chief Marketing Officer of Made-in-Aba Product, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State during the 2016 Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Forum in Lagos on Saturday.
Speaking as one of the panelists at the forum, the ex-president was quoted as saying to Ikpeazu: “Governor, I listened to you and I commend you for what you’re doing in Abia. Please keep doing what you’ve told us you’re doing. So, Governor Abia, you have to send a pair of the shoes to me. I use size 42”.
It was learnt that the remark elicited an outburst of laughter in the audience.
Earlier, the governor had told the audience that Aba remains the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) capital of Nigeria, where young Nigerians are engaged in the business of making of shoes, clothing and other products.
Mr. Ikpeazu added that a firm that has an order to supply up to 50,000 military boots is currently in Aba, where Aba shoemakers are making the production.
His words: “I am happy to announce here that Aba, which is the commercial nerve centre of Abia State and Old Eastern Region of Nigeria, is also the SME capital of Nigeria, where young people are in the business of making shoes, bags and clothes, including the one I am wearing.
“Let me also announce here that a private firm that has an order to supply 50,000 military boots is currently in Aba, where our shoemakers are in production for the firm”.
