
File photo: Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (right) and Abia Governor Okezie Ikpeazu (left) tour the Aba shoe factory
Be proud, patronize locally-made goods to boost Nigeria’s economy, Ikpeazu preaches to Nigerians

[From BONIFACE OKORO, Umuahia]
Abia Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu says that Nigeria’s economy would receive a big boost if Nigerians take pride in patronizing locally-made products.


The Governor told a delegation from CUTIX Plc, a local manufacturing company engaged in the production of electrical cables, who visited him at Governor’s Lodge, Aba that if Nigerians patronize locally made products, the local manufacturers would not even meet the demands of the citizens, not to talk of exporting such products.
He stressed the need for Nigerian manufacturers to begin to blow their own trumpets and challenge themselves by constantly improving on their products.
Governor Ikpeazu used the opportunity to inform his guests that the Enyimba Economic City, when fully operational, would be the only Free Trade Zone in Nigeria with uninterrupted power supply.
He added that the Zone would provide a manufacturing platform for people of the South East zone and invited the delegation to take advantage of the opportunity provided by the Enyimba Economic City.
He commended the founder of CUTIX PLC, production facility is in Nnewi, Anambra State, for his contributions to the locally-made products and congratulated him for blazing the trail in electricity cables.
The Governor assured the delegation that his administration would partner with the company by patronizing them and giving them the opportunity to handle the electrical works in some ongoing projects.
Ikpeazu made it clear that amongst the present crop of Nigerian Governors, he remains the champion of locally-produced goods and assured that he would continue to canvass for the use of locally produced goods.
Earlier, the leader of the delegation and a Director of CUTIX PLC, Sir Mathias Omego, said the team was at Governor’s Lodge to seek partnership with Abia State government in the areas of street lighting and other electrical projects.
Omego said they were willing to partner the state, emphasizing that their products were known for high quality and remained the best in the country.