The Senator representing Abia South Senatorial District of Abia, Enyinnaya Abaribe, has urged Aba entrepreneurs not to hide their ingenuity in Aba, but to show it the world.
Abaribe gave the advice at the ongoing 5th Made-in-Aba Trade Fair on Wednesday in Abuja.
The Senator said that the entrepreneurial abilities of the Abia people should not be hidden in Aba because no one would know such ingenuity exists.
He said that the aim of holding the fair annually in Abuja was to show the capabilities of the Aba artisans to the whole of Nigeria and beyond.
He said: “I don’t want people to continue to hide in Aba, hence, the organisers of the fair had to bring them to the capital of Nigeria, so that everybody would know that these people exist in Aba.”
A fashion designer at the fair, Comfort Ogbor, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria, called on the Federal Government to support businesses in Aba to generate more employment and boost the country’s economy.
An online trader, Ifeanyi Anucha, said the government could assist the artisans with modern tools to enhance production.
Anucha said made- in-Aba products were of good quality and could compete with products from other climes.
He said: “Recently, I had orders from the United Kingdom for some of our products; I sent samples and the recipient was amazed at what we could do in Aba.”
A producer of trunk boxes, Ifeanyi Onuoha, said he was at the fair to show the world that Aba could manufacture better trunk boxes.
One of the guests at the fair, Dr Ardak from Kazakhstan, said the products exhibited at the fair were cheaper than those in the conventional Abuja market.
She said the products were good for local consumption, but could not compete favourably in the international market due to poor finishing.
Follow The Eagle Online Channel on WhatsApp
