Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu on Wednesday, enrolled as a student at the Footwear Academy, Aba.
The Governor who was accompanied by the Director General of the Abia State Marketing and Quality Control Agency, Mr. Sam Hart urged Nigerians to take pride in patronizing made in Nigeria products as a way of boosting the economy.
Founder of the Academy, Mr Bentley Chukwuemeka who took the Governor through the rudiments of shoe production, said the Academy was committed to producing quality footwears as well as producing well trained hands with a view to sustain the place of Aba as a destination of choice in the shoe making business.
Gov. Ikpeazu who revealed that he has only won locally made footwears and clothes since he came to power in 2015, stressed the need for the country to leverage on the strength of its population for ready market for Nigerian products.
According to him, “except Nigerians endorse their own products and take pride in them, they will be merely supporting the economic growth of other nations”.
Ikpeazu urged Nigerians to take the lead in consuming their products to enable others follow. He boasted that 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 from Aba.
Gov. Ikpeazu while stressing the need for stronger collaboration between the Academy and the Enyimba Automated Shoe Factory, promised that land will be provided to enable the Academy embark on major expansion to ensure that more students are given the opportunity to get trained.
