Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, has secured the interest of a Chinese company, which has agreed to set up a $1.5 billion shoe industry in Aba, the commercial hub of the state.
The company, Huajian Shoe Industry based in Dongguan, Guangzhou, China and Governor Ikpeazu, met and secured the agreement during a meeting with Mr. Zhang Huarong, the Group Chairman of the company, during the recent 1st Nigeria-China Governors Investment Forum.
The new development spearheaded by the Southeastern governor is in line with several calls in recent times by Uthoko na Eze Achalla, Anambra State, Igwe Ezeoba Alex Nwokedi, on governors of South East states to invest in the establishment of industries for the advancement of the course of their people.
Igwe Nwokede had said since the East has potentials for making Nigeria great technologically that serious attention and support by governments of the geo-political zone would yield good results in the regard.
It would also be recalled by former Director-General of PRODA, Engr. Edmund Kaine, had saind in an interview in the past that technology had a way of advancing the course of Igbo and Nigeria as a whole if governments would pay attention and support the strength of the people of Eastern part with industry.
Kaine made this position known saying, “Technology is not acquired in the university. It is acquired in the industry.”
Governor Ikpeazu would therefore have made his name count in the history of the South East and Nigeria for the singular effort to bring an industry such as the shoe manufacturing company from China to his Nigerian state of Abia.
Like Kaine’s advice, there should however be a policy that would make it possible for technology transfer whereby while the industry operates in Nigeria, citizens of the land would be largely involved in the job so as to learn how the technology is operated.
