Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has commended President Muhammadu Buhari and Gov. Hope Uzodimma for their efforts in attracting the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Clinic to Imo.
The Vice President gave the commendation on Tuesday in Owerri while commissioning the MSME clinic, a brainchild of his office.
Osinbajo said that the clinic contained various equipment, machines and trade facilities which were hardly affordable by investors in small businesses because of their high cost.
He described as”critical”, the location of the facility sited beside the popular Amakohia market along the ever busy Owerri – Orlu federal road.
According to him, the commissioned garment facility comprised about 200 fully automated world class equipment capable of providing services for about 350 small businesses daily.
He thanked President Buhari for making the MSME a priority in his administration and commended Uzodimma for his commitment to the actualisation of the initiative.
“What Government does is to invest in buying the equipment, providing spaces and facilities in that location of the clusters for the trade or businesses.
“Where there are many people who are engaged in a particular type of business, Government will help them to access the use of such facilities.
“To Owerri metropolis and its environs, the facility will be used to carry out several tailoring activities, including straight sewing, weaving, embroidery, monograph and monogram,” he said.
Speaking, Uzodimma described the MSME facility as a salutary signpost of the shared prosperity agenda of his administration and thanked Buhari and his team for the creative enterprise expressed in the MSME scheme.
He reiterated the several efforts of his administration towards the revival and recovery of moribund industries such as Adapalm, expected to offer employment to 120,000 youths, and recovery of Standard Shoe Company targeted at employing 10,000 youths.
He urged the Vice President to replicate what had been done with the MSME in the shoe Industry so that “the industry which is ‘begging for help’ will be assisted with the necessary equipment for an immediate take off.”
“This is a significant effort to reduce unemployment and poverty in our land, engage our youths in productive ventures and make crime unattractive to them.
“Our youths have to be engaged and not allow themselves to be used by the opposition for nefarious activities; they should shun drug abuse, criminality, violence and work hard to make Imo the industrial hub of the southeast,” he said.
He, however, assured of uninterrupted power supply at the clinic and enjoined the youths not to hesitate to buy into all the available skills of the Federal and State Governments that could help them succeed in life.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event was attended by the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Amb. Mariam Katagum, as well as officials of the Imo government. (NAN)
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