Soliu Owoyabu, Abeokuta
The Hon. Minister for Humanitarian and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu has disclosed the readiness of the Federal government of Nigeria under the leadership of President Ahmed Tinubu to promote Nigerian locally made products and subsidize the ADIRE fabrics for Nigerians.
Edu disclosed this on Saturday during her visitation to Adire Mall in Itoku, Abeokuta and Asero where she had an interaction with Adire makers.
She assured them that the government will make sure the products are known in the world market, adding that there is need for government to ban importation of foreign Adire product.
She however, revealed the programmes that government is ready to embark on to utilize the previous opportunities in Adire to create employment and lift millions of vulnerable Nigerians out of poverty.
“First you must be able to push local production to meet the demand. Local production must be enhanced at all cost to meet the demand. When local products enhanced, subsided and supported by government, it will automatically eliminate whatever fluntuate coming in to the market.
“We don’t want to be selling fake ADIRE. Made in China ADIRE and brought into Nigeria. What we want is a local ones made by our people to create jobs, it will build Micro and Macro economy and it will help Nigeria to be more of the manufacturing country rather than an importing country. This are the things that are affecting an exchange rate and other indexes in Nigeria. Government to provide that subsidy for the people, so we take the fuel subsidy of the fuel, we will provide it for the ADIRE makers so that they can provide local ADIRE that will be used and exported out of the country.
“I was so happy yesterday when the governor and his team, commissioners said they are going to create hubs in Abuja where the original ADIRE would be sold. This is taking Abeokuta in Ogun State to the world, and this hubs can be created even at Embassy in other countries around the world where we can export ADIRE and sold.
“This is original one not the fake which is imitated and brought in. For us if we support the local manufacturers, subsidize this for them, bring more people in to this to meet the demand, it will automatically eliminate the ones that coming in to country.
“We are here today in Ogun State basically, we want to see those areas we can support persons who are poor and be alleviated out of poverty and to get for of livelihood and skills that will help them strive and sustain families and of course come out of poverty. We have identified about Five things with governor yesterday. Governor and his team, commissioners five things we can do almost immediately that will really touch lives in Ogun State and this will be able to cover about 100 persons in Ogun State. Part of what we identified yesterday was the ADIRE creation which is really very typical to Ogun people; it is kind of their identify and what they are known to do very well.
“ADIRE has both the local production and modern production. We’ve been in the market to pick up some of the fabrics, interact with the market people and Iyaloja all are here with us. We try to find out the what does it really take to get one of this products, how much do they cost interms of product and final product on how they do cost in the market. This cloth I’m handling is #15,200, we have some the 25,000, 75,000 in the shops. We have come here to see how it locally made, the part of the process, dying stage, the drying and all of these stages that finally get to beautiful fabrics that will sell and export.
“We are planning the immediate to come and start the training, create new cluster for ADIRE in two other senatorial districts where it did not exist before. After that training, we will do a fashion show of ADIRE just to launch them out and ensure that they now get the new customers that will support them.
“ADIRE is a precious fabrics all over the world, people recognize and identify with it, so we can build the local production and ensure that more and more people get some of the livelihood, new skills and be able to make money for themselves and their families. Remember the President has targeted the next 42months to lift 50millions Nigerians our of poverty. This are the way we intend to do it.
Edu, during her visit to flood victims of Isheri at their camp, she promised that Federal government is working on the quick intervention so that the affected people will get back to their home, added the President Bola Tinubu led Administration will fulfill all his promises.
She however presented the Food items to the victims as palliatives to ease the tensions on them.