…Expresses delight over creativity by 2 outfits in Abuja
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) has restated the Federal Government’s commitment to the growth of the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), saying that the innovation and creativity in the sector will transform Nigeria as a manufacturing giant.
Osinbajo expressed this optimism when he visited two MSMEs in Abuja on Wednesday.
Speaking on Nigeria’s creativity during his visit to DLK Clothing Signatures Ltd, a manufacturer of shoes, garments and other items in Lugbe, a suburb of Abuja, Osinbajo said, “It is very impressive that somewhere in Abuja, you can have so much manufacturing going on, so many people employed and so much innovation and creativity on display”.
The Vice President, who was accompanied by Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, among other officials, also visited Roving Heights Book Store at the Wuse II area of the FCT, as the 2021 MSME Week gets underway.
At the Lugbe facility, Osinbajo was conducted around the different production lines by the CEO of the company, Barr. Lovelyn Mbanefo. He was taken around the shoe-making line, garment factory, and face mask production line. The VP interacted with the workers at the factory as he observed the inner workings and the different processes in the production line.
At the Roving Heights Book Store in Wuse II, Osinbajo was conducted around the Book Store by Mrs Adebola Eyinade, the Co-founder of the book store, where the Vice President bought a few titles and was told about the business operations and how sales fare in the book store.
Speaking in a chat with journalists during the tour, Osinbajo said the Federal Government will continue to give priority attention to MSMEs especially those creating jobs for Nigerians.
He said, “This is our MSME Week, we are looking at star MSMEs here and there, looking at what they are doing and in what ways we can support them, so we are looking forward to working with them.”
At the Lugbe outfit, Osinbajo told journalists that, “We are here at the DLK manufacturing company. They manufacture, as you have seen, boots, shoes, special uniforms for the NYSC, for the Armed Forces, and they also make bags and masks. Even face masks.
“This is quite an impressive facility because first, there is a wide range of products that are manufactured right here, and secondly, there is a good number of young men and women that are employed.
“Thirdly, and importantly, the equipment is state-of-the-art. We have looked around and we have seen that you can do practically anything here. You can do all of the manufacture of boots for the Armed Forces, and they already have something they are doing for the Armed Forces, the Customs Service, and the NYSC.”
He expressed satisfaction with the operations of both MSMEs and said what he had observed was quite impressive.
In commemoration of the 2021 MSME Week, culminating in the World MSME Day on June 27, series of activities have been planned.
The Vice President on Tuesday held a virtual interaction with leaders of the organized private sector on issues bothering on the economy, especially the growth of MSMEs.
The President of NASME, Mr. Orimadegun Agboade, praised the Vice President for his “personal attention to MSMEs Clinics, describing the VP’s support as “more than what we can express.”
On Thursday, the first National MSME Discourse which will focus on challenges and prospects in the MSME sector will be declared open by the Vice President with panelists and discussants drawn from the public and private sectors.
On Friday, the National Fashion and Arts Exhibition featuring notable fashion designers across the country will be held at the State House Banquet Hall, while the grand finale of the week, the National MSME Awards will hold on Sunday at the same venue.
