Soludo: Patronage of Made in Nigeria Textiles Will Create 10 Million Jobs

*Abuja summit will showcase FCT to investors, says Wike

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

Anambra State Governor, Prof. Charles Soludo, yesterday, said if all Nigerians wear Made-in-Nigeria clothes, no less than five to 10 million jobs would be created from textiles.

He said this yesterday, at the Abuja Business and Investment Summit 2024.

The former CBN Governor, who was the keynote speaker at the occasion, said it was a collective destiny to make Nigeria great by investing in and patronising Made-in-Nigeria.

“I want to share a simple point with you, that the biggest way to promote massive investments in all sectors in Nigeria is to buy, eat, drive, and drink made in Nigeria.

“Yes, I drove to this conference with my Innoson Vehicle made in Anambra State. I am wearing Akwete, made by women of Akwete in Abia. And my shoe, probably there, we will come and show you around Ogbunike and all of that. I’m wearing my nationalism on my head, that’s the green eagle.
“I am Nigerian, and God didn’t make a mistake to make me a Nigerian,” Soludo said.

The governor said visitors to Anambra government house, are either offered food made in Anambra or in Nigeria, as well as drink made in Anambra or in Nigeria.

He urged Nigerians to intentionally mainstream the agenda and philosophy of “Nigeria First” considering that in the new world order, neo-nationalism and neo-capitalism are projected in many countries.

He said doing that, “would require us to intentionally nurture national champions for sustainability. If you see the companies that have pulled out of Nigeria, how many of them are national companies? None. “But the foreign companies, they have itchy feet, they are very opportunistic, extremely opportunistic, there is no emotion to it.

“So for long-term sustainability, we must intentionally nurture the domestic capital and build them. It is a very big topic, for latecomer industrialists, the government must have to de-risk certain strategic investment for the private sector.”

Soludo also charged Nigerians to deliberately promote African capital and trade, saying nationals have a higher risk appetite to invest in Nigeria.
“Capital is not just blind; it is not colour blind. It knows where it wants to go. It goes where it would call home. We could be preaching about foreign investment to come and finance African investment in infrastructure from now till thy kingdom come. It won’t come.

“So you can wait till thy kingdom comes, we must build the African capital as the frontier capital that would lead even the other foreigners to come in.
“Everybody else fights for their own country because no matter how you think about globalisation and all of that, populations are still confined within the nation-states.

“And the government must provide jobs for those people. And so you see where the tension comes in terms of the competitive thing. And we must mainstream African Continental Free Trade Agreements, while keeping an eye on the global emergence,” he said.

Also FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, who was the Special Guest of honour at the occasion has said the Abuja investment summit was designed to showcase to stakeholders and potential investors in Nigeria and worldwide the investment opportunities that abound in the FCT.

The minister said the platform was to initiate collaborations to enhance economic growth, cultural exchange, and sustainable development.

“I want to emphasise that the FCT is open for business. We have streamlined our processes to make it easier for investors to set up and operate. The Abuja Investment Company Limited and the Abuja Enterprise Agency have facilitated partnerships and supported investors, ensuring you receive the necessary guidance at every step of your investment journey,” Wike said.

Meanwhile the GMD Abuja Investments Company Limited, Amb. Maureen Tamuno, assured of AlCL’s commitment to build on the summit for a generous and innovative future.