Gov. Otti Assures Investors Of Government Support As Comfort Stevens Prepares To Launch Factory

Dr. Alex Otti, Governor of Abia State, has assured investors in the state that his administration will help them realise their dreams.

He also stated that his government is working hard to clean up the business environment and make it more conducive to new investments as well as bringing back old ones that had previously left the state due to unfavourable government policies.

The Governor spoke while receiving a group of investors led by Dr. John Nwankwo, Chief Executive Officer of Comfort Stevens, who promise to rewrite the story of Abia State, and indeed Nigeria, in the footwear industry.

Otti assured Comfort Stevens of his support in completing their factory in Owerrinta, Isialangwa South Local Government Area of Abia, and promised to always align with projects that would help him achieve his goal of providing job opportunities for Abia’s unemployed youth.

Governor Otti stated in a press statement issued by Kazie Uko, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, that capital, through investment, is devoid of emotion and sentiment and only goes to places where it can thrive and flourish.

“You may choose to relocate abroad in search of capital, but foreign capital will not come unless you create the conditions that attract it. “No matter how much preaching you do, no matter how many platitudes you say, capital has its own sense; it does not have emotion, it is not sentimental; it simply moves to where the environment has been prepared because the reward for capital is profit,” Governor Otti said, recalling an article he wrote as a newspaper columnist.

“I want to congratulate you on not giving up, and I am glad you have progressed to the point where you hope to be commissioned by December.

“If there is anything we can do to help you make that December a reality, please do not hesitate to ask,” Governor Otti said.

While emphasising the importance of local manufacturing, the Governor stated that no country has ever developed solely through the consumption of imported goods.

He revealed that his government is working very hard to support existing businesses as well as attract new investors through favourable policies, adding that supporting the Geometric Power company’s entry into the market and the various infrastructural upgrades underway in the State, including the dualisation of the Imo River-Umuikaa-Umuene road in Isialangwa South, are all geared towards Abia’s industrialisation.

The Governor expressed his delight that one of the company’s plans is to train and upskill existing local shoe manufacturers in Aba, and promised that his government would support the company in this endeavour.

“A lot of them struggle to finish. Many of them are impatient, lack the necessary tools and skills, so it would be interesting to have Comfort Stevens serve as both a producer and a training and finishing school for our youth.

“Go to Shoe Plaza and see what the young men and women are doing with their bare hands, and you will realise that if you introduce them to technology, they will give you much more,” Governor Otti said.

Dr. Nwankwo, who led the team of investors from the United States, China, and Brazil, described the unpleasant experience he and his team had under the previous administration while attempting to realise their dream of establishing a world-class shoe factory in Abia.

He informed the Governor that their company, Comfort Stevens, has made tremendous progress in the last year of the new government, so they decided to pay the Governor a visit to formally introduce him to their large-scale industrial footwear project, which will be commissioned by December 2024 and begin production shortly thereafter.

Nwankwo, who presented the Governor with various samples of high-quality shoes, stated that the factory’s fifteen thousand daily footwear production capacity will produce not only complete shoes but also shoe components such as gum, soles, insoles, strings, and so on.

He stated that the company’s mission with its partners from the United States, China, and Brazil is to produce high-quality footwear that can compete in the global market, and that machines for the production of high-quality footwear and its components will arrive at its facility in Owerrinta by the end of June for installation.

Dr. Nwankwo congratulated Governor Otti on his impactful year in office and the unimaginable progress that has occurred in Abia under his watch, which he believes is an eloquent testimony to the Governor’s sincerity of purpose and passion for the state’s industrialisation.

Governor Otti was joined in the meeting by the Commissioner for Trade, Commerce, and Industry, Dr. Chimezie Ukaegbu; the Special Adviser to the Governor on Trade, Commerce, and Industry, Chief Nwaka Inem; and other government officials. The meeting was facilitated by the Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Emeruwa.