The Federal Government is exploring measures to support businesses in Abia State, particularly operators in the textile and garment cluster in Aba, as well as the agricultural sector.
The Special Adviser to the President on Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr John Uwajimogu, disclosed this on Wednesday in Umuahia when he led a delegation to Gov. Alex Otti, saying the visit was aimed at deepening engagement with the state government and identifying areas for collaboration.
Uwajimogu said the Federal Government had taken note of Aba’s strong industrial capacity, particularly in textiles and garments, and was considering ways to address major constraints affecting businesses in the sector.
“One of the biggest things that we see coming out of Abia State is the strong industrial capacity in Aba, particularly in the textile and garments sector.
“And, we have been thinking of how, from the federal level, we can support the businesses that are working in that sector and have come up with ideas on how we can address some of the biggest binding constraints that they often face, one being infrastructure and the other one being finance,” he said.
The presidential aide said the Federal Government was interested in bringing its projects and programmes to Abia, adding that the engagement would identify areas where both levels of government could collaborate to promote economic development.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), Engr. Cornelius Adebayo, described Otti as a performer and reformer, saying the authority’s mandate was to alleviate poverty through agriculture.
Adebayo said NALDA was seeking the state government’s support, particularly in providing land for its Renewed Hope Mega Farm Estate programme, which he said would aggregate farmers, provide infrastructure and security, facilitate access to inputs and markets, and create sustainable incomes.
He expressed hope that Abia would host a major NALDA agricultural project, including a processing facility, and appealed to Otti to provide suitable land and support for the initiative.
Responding, Otti expressed his administration’s readiness to collaborate with NALDA and other stakeholders to unlock the state’s agricultural potential.
The governor described the proposed farm settlement initiative as a practical pathway to increasing food production, creating jobs and reducing dependence on food imports.
Otti said that despite Abia’s limited landmass, the state had fertile and arable land suitable for crops including cassava, yam, cocoyam, oil palm and cashew.
He recalled the success of farm settlements established in the 1950s and 1960s, as well as the defunct Star Paper Mill, as examples of productive ventures that demonstrated Nigerians’ capacity to build sustainable enterprises.
The governor said the initiative aligned with his administration’s vision, noting that food importation put additional pressure on the foreign exchange market and stressing the need to revive local production through deliberate investment in agriculture.
Otti subsequently directed the Commissioners for Agriculture and Lands to identify available locations, including existing farm settlements and other suitable areas, while exploring measures to strengthen the operations of NALDA’s office in Osisioma.
Members of the Abia State Executive Council attended the meeting.
