Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, has expressed gratitude to the Federal Government for the confirmation of his position that Aba, the Commercial Nerve Centre of Eastern Nigeria, is the national Capital of Small and Medium Scale Enterprise in Nigeria.
Ikpeazu said this when he joined the Acting President of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, and other top government functionaries at the media launch of the Federal Government’s Micro Small and Medium Scale Enterprise Clinic, (MSME Clinic) in Abuja, according to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Enyinnaya Appolos.
Prof. Osinbajo is slated to be in Aba, the Enyimba City and the SME capital of Nigeria on Thursday, January 26 for the launching of the MSME clinic.
Speaking at the Aso Rock event on Tuesday, January 24 Ikpeazu, who doubles as the Chief Promoter of Made-in-Aba Products, commended the FG for doing the right thing by beginning the novel MSME Clinic at Aba.
He said that the decision has confirmed that Aba is truly, the SME capital of Nigeria and called on the Federal Government to further support small and medium scale enterprises by urgently fixing Port Harcourt road Aba and Aba-Ikot Ekpene Highway in the commercial city of Aba.
He highlighted the potentials of MSME to support economic growth, create jobs, get the country out of recession and add significantly to national GDP.
Ikpeazu told the Acting President and other participants at the event that his government had earlier identified MSME as a major engine of economic revival.
He also informed his audience that his focused efforts at dealing with the infrastructural challenges at Aba, the MSME capital of Nigeria, is based on his conviction that a robust MSME can lead to massive wealth creation when properly incubated and supported.
He highlighted the MSME potentials of Aba, especially the leather and garment industry and thanked the Federal government for choosing Aba as the location for the maiden outing of the program.
He also took time to highlight some of the achievements of his administration at Aba including the ongoing work at Faulks road and the Osisioma interchange, that was recently flagged off.