Nigeria needs Igbo technology to end recession - Saraki

As Nigeria confronts its development challenges, Sen­ate President Buko­la Saraki has urged the Feder­al Government to look up to Igbo technology for an early exit from the current econom­ic recession.

Saraki, who made the ad­monition on Monday, declared that Igbo technology has the capacity to refuel the econo­my and bring the country out of recession.

Saraki lamented the aban­donment of Igbo technological prowess by past administra­tions in championing the coun­try’s economic development.

In a speech he sent to the opening ceremony of the fourth “Made-in-Aba Trade Fair” holding at the Arts and Crafts Village, Abuja, Saraki said that the country needs Igbo tech­nology now more than ever to wriggle out of the present eco­nomic recession.

 

Represented by the Senate Deputy Majority Leader, Sen­ator Bala Ibn Na’allah (Keb­bi South), the Senate President asked the Federal Government to promote made in Nigeria goods, especially those manu­factured in Aba.

He noted that Nigeria has been paying the price for ne­glecting the technological prow­ess of the Igbo, adding that such mistake should not to be repeat­ed.

Saraki said: “If there is any time that the Federal Republic of Nigeria needs the Igbo, it is now. Nigeria ought to have re­alised this very dependable peo­ple for its industrial growth but for whatever reason, the country abandoned them; it didn’t give the Igbo the seriousness they de­serve and today we are paying the price.”

“You see, whatever God does has always been the cor­rect thing, that is why we say, God is good, all the time”.

Saraki promised that the Senate and the National As­sembly as a whole will contin­ue to do everything within its mandate and powers to ensure that the domestic manufactur­ers and service providers have the enabling environment that they need to thrive.

He said: “Working with the Executive arm of government, we will push for improved in­frastructure, financial invest­ment and technology to boost our domestic manufacturing value chain.

“We are partners in this pro­cess; we will continue to be part­ners. I believe in ‘Made-in-Nige­ria’, I believe in ‘Made-in-Aba’. The possibilities ahead of us are endless”.

In his remark, the Abia State Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, urged the Federal Government not to approve funds for foreign goods that are produced in Ni­geria.

He said: “There is no need to appropriate money for goods that can be produced here, yet they are imported from over­seas.

“The Federal Government should encourage made-in Aba products through the provision of infrastructure. Electricity supply is critical to the success of made in Aba products and be­yond power, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) are re­quired to make their goods”.

“So, if government, through the Small and Medium Enter­prises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) provides the necessary machines and equipment, the sky will be our limit”.

The initiator of the “Made-in Aba Product Fair”, Sena­tor Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abia North) said about 200 of the Aba traders came to Abuja to display their products at the event.

According to him, the trad­ers would be at the fair till Fri­day to represent other groups which were not opportuned to be at the show to display their products.

Earlier, the Director-Gen­eral of SMEDAN, Dikko Umar Radda, called on Ikpeazu to consider public-private partner­ship options to bring succour to the operators.

He reiterated SMEDAN’s commitment to working with stakeholders to find cost-effec­tive solutions to recurring infra­structural deficit at both leather and garment clusters.