The President, Leather Product Manufacturers Association of Abia, Mazi Okechukwu Williams, says leather workers in the state are recording increasing patronage.
Williams disclosed this on Monday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in his office in Ariaria, Aba.
He said that the Governor Okezie Ikpeazu-led administration had added value to the perception and productivity of leather workers in Aba.
Wiliams said: “With this present government, the governor has volunteered to be the chief marketing officer of LEPMAAS. He said it himself.
“If you enter his office, you will see samples of our products and he has been making concerted efforts to drive the demand within the finished leather goods sector in Abia state.
“There had been many orders coming in and business has been on the increase; we are having a sort of geometric rise in the last three years because we have done a lot of advocacy to enable us have more access to market and to finance.
“It is gradually paying off. We are experiencing a rise in demand and a couple of our good manufacturers are very busy so I would say things have been a bit fair in the last three years.
“Under Dr Okezie Ikpeazu’s regime, there has been an improvement from what we used to have.
“However, what we have done over the years culminated in what we are having now in this regime.”
Williams noted that Ikpeazu had assembled good and qualified personnel who were helping to lift their production in the state to the next level through getting them job orders.
He added that the Public Communication arm of the governor’s office under Sam Hart had developed an online platform for made-in-Aba products to improve their visibility and advantage.
He said: “Ikpeazu is also paying close attention to the finished leather goods sector of the state.
“This is opening up what we are doing here to the world and I think what we need is to improve on the level of our production capacity to match the demand for our products which will result from the exposure.”
Williams therefore commended Ikpeazu for his effort at improving their market value and visibility, urging the governor not to relent until they reach the desired destination.
NAN reports that some trained shoe manufacturers in Ariaria who became commercial motorcyclists because of lull in patronage have started returning to the business.
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