Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture, on Thursday applauded the Ogun State government for its commitment at showcasing indigenous ‘Adire’ fabrics to the global community.
The minister gave the applause at the launch of “Adire Ogun’’ digital marketplace held at Abeokuta.
Adire are locally made from fabrics which are tied and dyed in different patterns using local materials of different colours. The fabrics are sewn into shirts, gowns, skirts, suits and other wearing apparel like shoes, bags, wallets and hand fans, among others.
Mohammed noted that there was no contesting the fact that “Adire’’ remained synonymous with the state, saying that the launch solidified the state’s commitment to promoting its cultural assets.
The minister said, “With the launch, the Adire Ogun marketplace would be the largest inventory of Adire textile and accessories in the world with about 2,000 merchants from Abeokuta which remained the undisputed centre of Adire production in the entire world.
“I commend the governor for his foresight in leveraging technology for positive purpose.
“This project is unprecedented and it is a great accomplishment. This is made possible by technology. The Adire Ogun is a conference of culture and technology and the benefits will extend to tourism and it will also translate to jobs and prosperity of the good people of Ogun State.
“This launch could not have come at a better time as the world continues to battle the COVID-19 pandemic. A lot of businesses are resorting to smart solutions in order to keep running.
“With adireogun.com, anyone, anywhere in the world can log on to the site, window shop and also buy any “Adire’’ material of choice. In other words, this digitalised trading in “Adire’’ has gone global.
“This is a game changer to “Adire’’ makers, “Adire’’ buyers, Ogun State and indeed Nigeria. With the creation of this platform, we are handing power back to these small businesses as their products will be accessible at any given time.’’
In his address of welcome, Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun said it was important to diversify from a mono-economic setting, saying “the official launch of the Adire Ogun Digital Market Place would open up the entire value-chain available in the production of the “Adire’’ fabric.
“We are talking about a value-chain that starts from the producers of the different shades of the dye to the producers of the fabric to the finished “Adire’’ makers themselves which ends with the marketing and distribution network.
“The end result of all these is a wide range of employment generation which will go a long way in boosting our efforts towards wealth creation and poverty alleviation.
“We also appreciate the fact that in order to elevate the status of “Adire’’ fabric and make it a global brand, it is important that we also provide equivalent global platforms for marketing and distribution.
“The Digital Market Place will serve as a melting-pot for all participants in the entire value-chain and provides opportunities for a wider coverage of the market for people to reach out to vendors and transact businesses by logging into the Adire Digital Mall.
“We have already enrolled more than 200 participants in the “Adire’’ value-chain on the portal. We are taking about 2,000 participants on the portal. We can even begin to estimate that if, in turn, these 2,000 participants impact another four or five persons each, this invariably provides us between 8,000 and 10,000 new jobs,’’ the governor said.
Abiodun called on all stakeholders in the information, culture and tourism sectors to partner with the state government in promoting this national heritage.
He appealed to the minister to help to promote “Adire’’ at the national level, adding that members of the Federal Executive Council and other top government functionaries could adopt the “Adire’’ for national events.