The Abia State governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr Kelechi Anosike, has promised to establish a solar-powered common facility centre in Aba to improve the production capacity of leather and garment makers.
Anosike pledged during a meeting with representatives of the Aba Leather and Garment Clusters, which he said comprised more than 200,000 members, as part of his campaign tour of the commercial city.
He said the proposed centre would be equipped with modern industrial machines to enable small-scale producers, including tailors, shoemakers and garment makers, to manufacture quality products without having to invest heavily in equipment.
The candidate said the facility would allow artisans to access the machines at affordable rates, complete customers’ orders and retain the proceeds from their work.
“I said we will set up a centre, solar-powered, with all kinds of world-class machines. Like what SMEDAN did in Abuja, like the tailoring aspect,” he said.
Anosike explained that the initiative would adopt a model similar to that of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria, where tailors pay a fee to use shared equipment to complete their jobs.
He recalled that a similar facility established in Aba in 2008 by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, in partnership with the Federal and Abia State Governments, had been vandalised and abandoned by successive administrations.
He said his administration would revive the concept as part of efforts to support local businesses, create jobs and strengthen the state’s manufacturing sector.
Beyond the proposed centre, Anosike promised to establish a Traders Microfinance Bank to provide interest-free loans and grants to traders and business clusters.
According to him, supporting small and medium-sized enterprises would help increase local production, reduce dependence on imported goods and create employment opportunities for residents.
He argued that Nigeria spends billions of dollars annually importing goods that could be produced locally, despite the availability of raw materials and skilled workers.
Describing his proposed economic approach as “productive welfarism,” Anosike said his development agenda would focus on empowering residents rather than distributing handouts.
“I’m a welfarist, and welfarism is not to give you handouts; it’s to empower you to support the state. It is called productive welfarism,” he said.
He said his campaign slogan, “Aruo Uzo, Aruo Afo,” which he translated as building roads and building people, reflected his belief that infrastructure development should go hand in hand with the economic well-being of residents.
The PDP candidate also criticised taxes he described as burdensome to low-income earners, promising to abolish them if elected.
He further questioned the welfare support provided to residents despite what he described as an increase in Abia’s monthly federal allocation from about N3.5bn to N40bn.
Earlier, the National Secretary of the Aba Leather and Garment Clusters, Ken Anyanwu, said the delegation met with Anosike to introduce the association and discuss ways to upgrade its members’ businesses to international standards.
Anyanwu, who is also the cooperative president, described Aba’s leather and garment industries as leading producers in Africa, lamenting that successive state governments had not given artisans adequate support.
He said small and medium-sized enterprises remained essential to economic growth and should be prioritised by any administration committed to improving residents’ livelihoods.
Anyanwu also expressed support for Anosike’s proposed policies, saying the candidate’s manifesto offered opportunities for the development of the clusters.
Those present at the meeting included the Abia PDP Deputy Chairman and Abia South senatorial candidate, Chinyere Onuoha; the Aba North/Aba South Federal Constituency candidate, Bob Ajuzieogu; the Aba Central House of Assembly candidate, Anastasia Uchenna; and other party candidates, including Daniel Ajunwa, popularly known as Obere Agu.
The party chieftains called on Abia residents to support the PDP in the forthcoming elections.