GOV OKOWA URGES DELTANS TO PATRONISE MADE IN NIGERIA PRODUCTS.

The Executive Governor of Delta State, His Excellency Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa has urged Deltans to help grow the nation’s economy and encourage local entrepreneurs by patronizing made in Nigeria products.

The governor made the call while responding to questions at the ongoing town hall meetings to mark his 2nd year anniversary as the 4th democratically elected governor of Delta State at Oniocha South Local Government Area in Delta North Senatorial District.

He said there is no way Nigeria will be self reliance if citizens do not patronize locally made products, adding that buying of foreign made goods and products drains the nation’s foreign reserves and stagnates the survival of local manufacturers.

Executive Assistant on Communication to Gov Okowa quoted him as saying that “I think much more progress and economic prosperity will be achieved if we change our ostentatious life style by way of patronizing foreign products, goods and services. We part with huge financial resources for not appreciating the products made in Nigeria and by extension products made in Delta State.

"The SMART agenda is majorly premised on self reliance in locally produced products while ensuring that the new entrepreneurs that we are raising in Delta State meet specific standards in the production of products, goods and services.

“A good example is the products currently put out by Issele-Uku Leather Works Factory in Aniocha South. I visited the factory to see things for myself and what they are doing there right now is simply fantastic. The leather works, shoes and bags produced there are simply unique and classy and it is very important that we all key into the new vision of patronizing products made in Nigeria and Delta.

“Some of the products were presented to me as gifts and I fell in love with them. My wife specifically admired one of the bags and sent it as a gift to one of our woman senior citizen and I am just thinking aloud that we must encourage our local producers to grow.

"Whatever foreign made products we patronize translates to foreign earnings to foreign manufacturers and their countries while we lose huge foreign exchange which for a long time ruined our foreign earnings. We must be determined to stop this trend and make Nigeria great again.”

The Issele-Uku Leather works factory was established in 2015 by the past administration and expanded by the Okowa administration to absorb more youths and other categories of Deltans to acquire skills and other vocational capabilities so as to enhance wealth creation for the vast majority of Deltans.

The leather factory is a joint venture with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and today Gov Okowa expanded the project to become the biggest Leather and Footwear Factory in Sub-Sahara Africa situated at the Micro, Small and Medium Entrepreneurship Centre, Issele-Uku, Delta North Senatorial District in the State.

Gov Okowa said the factory is also involved in the production of Ethnic Clothing (Akwa-Ocha} weaving, a common fabric design peculiar to the people of Anioma Nation, adding that plans are in top gear to increase the Akwa-Ocha colours to other varieties instead of the present popular white designs.

He noted that Deltans are massively keying into the SMART Agenda because of the deliberate government policy in shifting focus from oil and looking inward to develop individual and corporate potentials, and harness our local raw materials for economic growth and socioeconomic remodeling.

A benefactor of the SMART AGENDA crusade for youths participation in entrepreneurship initiative of the Okowa administration and graduate of Covenant University, Miss Emmanuela Clinton who is now the Chief Executive Officer of Nuela Clinton’s Farm situated at 7 Nwadei Street, Idumu Isekpe Quarters, Ogwashi-Uku told the mammoth crowd at the town hall meeting that she was inspired by Gov Okowa’s sagacity in youths development Initiative and ventured into Poultry Farming.

She further testified that, that timely decision transformed her socioeconomic status from a mere hopeless young graduate to employer of labour for which her biological mother gained employment as Farm Manager.

It was an awesome testimony and it is hoped that other young University graduates and other categories of youths in Delta State will emulate the giant strides of Emmanuela and join the prosperity family of the Okowa administration.

A glance at the SMART AGENDA remarkable achievements in Aniocha South includes the following;

***Construction of Ogwashi-Uku/Ubulu-Unor Road.
***Reconstruction of Nsukwa-Ejeme Road.
***Construction of a Block of three (3) Classrooms at Idegwu Primary School, Ubulu-Uku.

***Renovation of a Block of three (3) Classrooms at Onihe Primary School, Ogwashi-Uku.

***Renovation of a Block of three (3) Classrooms at Magbala Primary School, Iseagu.

***Renovation of a Block of sis (6) Classrooms at Aboh-Ogwashi Primary School, Aboh-Ogwashi.

***Renovation of a Block of two (2) Classrooms at Aniogor Primary School, Ejeme.

***Renovation of a Block Wall Fence at Aniogor Primary School, Ejeme-Aniogor.

***Renovation of a Block of eight (8) unit toilets at Aniogor Primary School, Ejeme-Aniogor.

***Renovation of a Block of three (3) Classrooms at Aniogor Primary School, Ejeme.

***Construction of Solar Powered Borehole at Aniogor Primary School, Ejeme.

***Construction of a Block of three (3) Classrooms at Azamue Primary School, Nsukwa.

***Construction/Completion of a Block of twenty-four (24) Classrooms at Ubulu Primary School, Ubulu-Uku, among others.

The town hall meeting also attracted the physically challenged persons who came to thank the SMART governor for initiating special skills acquisition programmes for them in the state.

The group urged the governor to increase the number of physically challenged people currently participating in the SMART programme from two persons per local government so as to accommodate a reasonable members of the group.

Gov Okowa while responding to their request disclosed that the physically challenged citizens in the state are dear to his heart and will certainly increase participation in skill acquisition subject to availability of funds, adding that with the gradual rise in crude oil prices, the state is looking forward to adjusting its commitments to Deltans in the area of skills acquisition, human capital development, micro finance loans, infrastructure and expanded socioeconomic development.

In a related development, a representative of the Fulani Herdsmen in the locality urged the state police command to charge arrested Herdsmen alleged to have committed criminal offences to Court for their heinous crimes, if found guilty so as to serve as deterrent to others.

He said Hausa-Fulani community leaders in the state are strongly opposed to illegal killing of innocent citizens and destruction of cash crops in farmlands and other unacceptable gross criminal misconducts.