Onyekwere Akym Uche
Abia is an energetic and optimistic state where everything good, is possible. The spiritual dimension to the state’s vigor and vivacity gives credence to the state’s slogan: “God’s Own State”. For those who have not visited Abia State, this appellation defines the people and their inherent potentials and possibilities. It is a place where human skills, creativity, intelligence, courage, technology, discipline and hard work meet. That the state is still unable to reinvent itself and thrive, is essentially a problem of leadership and management.
Onyekwere Akym Uche
Take technology for instance. Young scientists and inventors are springing up every day in Abia State. But they are held back by lack of funds and encouragement by those who should know better. Regularly, we watch the exploits of these talented young people, thanks to technology. But then, they are still on the ground struggling because the environment is strangulating.
In re-thinking our Industrial Belt, we must seriously reconsider science and technology because that is the face of the future. Honestly, only God knows what Abia State will become if we effectively apply ourselves to our God-given abilities and latent gifts that can be roused if we take ourselves more seriously.
Unfortunately, some of us inside are not seeing the possibilities and opportunities within. We focus on politics and the short-time benefits that empower only a few in the corridors of power. Aba, our industrial hub for instance, is a classic example of our hidden treasures that are lying dormant.
Ayo Fayose, a former governor of Ekiti State, South West Nigeria, once sent boys from his state to Abia State during his second term in office. The mission of the young men from Ekiti was to understudy the Igbo apprenticeship scheme and business models. The governor chose Aba, Abia State because he fully appreciates what skill acquisition and good business knowledge can do to an economy such as ours. It was also reported a few years ago that the Nigerian Army now buys some of its operational shoes and accessories from Aba shoe industry.
Onyekwere Akym Uche
The point is that we can actually revive our trade and manufacturing industry if the will is there. For example, the Aba Shoe Industry, though still viewed by a few as informal in nature, can change the manufacturing narrative of the entire West Africa. Here, shoes, bags, slippers, leather works and clothes are manufactured. This market is huge and it continues to attract traders from different parts of Nigeria and other parts of Africa. Before now, finished goods from these markets used to be derisively called Aba Made but all that is changing with knowledge, improved quality and time.
Outside the Aba shoes and allied materials which remains the Abia flagship product, our state is richly blessed in other areas. As a frontline state in Nigeria, we have what it takes to revolutionize our Agro-allied and Textile industries. We can also replicate the remarkable success so far recorded in shoe-making in Industrial Minerals and Quarrying which is another gold mine.
There is also a huge window in attaining self-sufficiency in drug production and related research, considering the enormous health benefits waiting to be fully harnessed.
I am not sure the drivers of our state are looking inwards even in this age of knowledge and creativity in their management of our state. The Abia State I know has the potentials and capacity to become the hub of food and plastic production in Nigeria and even beyond. What I consider the limiting factor is the inability of some people to think outside the box and solve real problems facing us. I know all these things are doable once there is the will.
If we take ourselves more seriously, given the human and natural resources available to us, the sky will not even be our limit. There is no doubt that if we refocus, we would have succeeded in inspiring a new generation of Abians, and this is the essence of government. So, the question is: what are we doing to lift people out of poverty and engender hope?
The only way to create employment opportunities and motivate our active youthful population is to get our priorities right. We must also get our industries working again. And there could not have been a better time. My challenge to the current administration is that they must begin to think right. Thinking right, from my experience, has many benefits both for now and in the near future. If all the right things are done, then we can be sure of sparking industrial growth. We will also overcome dependence by becoming viable economically. What follows naturally is progress and better life for all irrespective of social status. It is a well-known fact that when we tackle existential problems as a government, the people become easier to govern. This is the truth and examples abound. After all, government is service for the common good; it is not for personal aggrandizement. Therefore, the growth and rapid development of Abia State is still possible and I am a firm believer in our indomitable spirit as a people.
The plain truth is that we must go back to our roots. As a people, we have a duty to return to what once made us proud Abians. Yes, those things that gave us an edge and competitive advantage above others. It is not too late in the day to follow what works for us. That is the only way we can compete favourably, liberate our people and engender development. We have no reason to be complaining when we already have what it takes to conquer the world. This is the only way to join other forward-looking people and the rest of the world who are desirous of genuine change for the good of the greater majority. We cannot wait any longer.
