Obasanjo gets Aba-made shoes as gifts from Ikpeazu

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, an ardent campaigner for ‘Made-in- Nigeria’ products, has received pairs of shoes – all made in Aba, Abia State, as gifts from Governor Victor Okezie Ikpeazu.

Obasanjo, who adorned one of them fittingly, said since the Aba-made shoe was nice on his feet, it would also look good on anybody in Nigeria, Africa and the rest of the world.

The shoes, half a dozen of them, were presented to him on Monday evening when Governor Ikpeazu, who doubles as the Ambassador of ‘Made in Aba’ products visited the ex-President at his residence on Presidential Hilltop Estate, Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

Ikpeazu who was accompanied by aides, explained to his host that “the shoes are all hand made by the boys in Aba,” saying they are also making 50,000 pairs of shoes for the Nigerian army.

Obasanjo who lauded the Aba boys for their ingenuity and creativity, hinted that the African Export–Import Bank (AFREXIM) may soon establish an industrial park in Aba to “encourage and support made in African products.”

He urged the governor to give the African Export–Import Bank (AFREXIM) team the necessary support whenever they arrived the state at a later date for such industrial park project.

Obasanjo noted that for a nation such as ours that is battling with “recession” the ingenuity of the Aba boys is quite significant, saying “the hard options of hard work, production and trade” are what Nigeria needs now to exit the troubling hard time.

According to him, “when we use what we make by ourselves, for ourselves, others will support and will be willing to try and make use of what we make here.”