By Ubani Newman Ubani
Home Grown Solutions (HGS) are solutions derived from local opportunities, cultural values and history which, when implemented, fast tracks development, boosts economy, and enhances governance.
The Rupublic of Rwanda, in their 2003 Constitution amended in 2015, initiated home-grown mechanisms as panacea for the rebuilding of the country, promotion of national culture, and restoration of the dignity of an average Rwandan.
Since the adoption of the home-grown solutions, in Rwanda, Millions of Rwandan citizens have been significantly lifted out of extreme poverty. Today, Rwanda prides as one of the fastest growing economy in the continent regardless of the genocide experiences of 1994.
Indeed, home grown solutions have been analyzed and proven to contribute immensely to good governance and economic development, especially, with regards to long-term economic efficiency and wealth creation. Hence, developmental experts have opined that the ultimate solution to the challenges of poverty and possible measures to alleviate it, lies in the hands of proactive leaders who are able to articulate a design as well as implement home-grown solutions through existing enablers.
Evidence abounds, like in the case of Rwanda, that home-grown solutions results in good governance and in rapid development.
It is therefore against this backdrop that the amiable Governor of Abia State, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu has, right from the beginning of his administration, in 2015, keyed into an aggressive support and promotion for home grown solutions in the State and Nigeria at large.
Some of the home-grown support initiatives of Governor Ikpeazu are as follows:
1. Wealth creation and circulation, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu commands the biggest patronage for the Innoson Motors products — a Nigerian-made brand. This is evidenced by the fleet of Innoson Motors (Amored vehicles) he handed over to the security agencies recently. This is in addition to those he procured previously.
2. Governor Ikpeazu’s preference for indigenous road contractors evinces his avowed committments to Home Grown solotions. Interestingly, some of those roads have withstood 5 successive rainy seasons without failing. It is obvious that there is no better way of promoting our own and creating more opportunities for the people than engaging our contractors on the jobs the can deliver.
3. Based on his incurable belief in home grown products and his unending campaign for it, Aba artisans have produced and supplied so many clothes and boots for the uniformed men in Nigeria including the military, the Police, NYSC etc. It is worthy of note that due to his resolve and commitment for inward based solutions, government agencies, like Nigeria Army and Nigeria Police Force etc, who hitherto go to China to produce their wears now do so in Aba.
4. Given the Governor’s unrelenting support, Abia artisans have equally produced election materials such as ballot boxes and apron among others during elections in the State.
5. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu threw up a challenge to encourage Aba entrepreneurs to produce Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) as well as Facemasks that were apparent out of reach in Nigeria. They did not disappoint as their products were not only fantastic but well-accepted by experts worldwide.
6. One can recall with joy that within his first four months in office, precisely in September, 2015, the ‘Home Grown’ Governor of Abia State, Okezie Victor Ikpeazu, Ph.D launched Education for Employment (E4E) Initiative in the State, an initiative that is aimed at empowering young people through skill acquisition in areas such as modern carpentry, modern brick laying, modern tiling, modern fabric making among others. This initiative has encouraged production of home grown products. Interested youths, from the State, who partook in the trainings were able to, among other things, produce school desks and other items in line with their areas of specialty.
7. The recent Fashion Week held in Aba also showcased the stuff Aba entrepreneurs are made of. The automated shoe factory in Aba is a cynosure of excellence, as it has keyed into the restoration of the glory of Aba, the Enyimba city.
8. In a bid to improve in the power supply of the Aba business community, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has brokered peace between stakeholders of the local power producers and distributors in Aba. This would ensure the provision of the needed power to Aba as it deserves and encourage the works.
9. His unquenchable thirst for home grown solution has led to the formation of home based digitally manned security outfit. Recall that the news of the establishment of Amotekun in the Western States, particularly that of Oyo State attracted wide reactions, but many have been blind in noticing that Governor Ikpeazu has established a more sophisticated indigenous security outfit with an initiative known as Crime prevention and Management System (CPAMS) in Abia State.
10. Governor Ikpeazu partnered Globalcom, a home brand telecommunication outfit to drive the Tele-Health Initiative in Nigeria. An initiative which sees Abians access healthcare services through a dedicated hotlines which they dial to speak to a Doctor whenever they have health emergencies to be advised on initial life-saving interventions before directing them to the closest Hospital for physical care.
11. In agriculture, the Ikpeazu-led administration has promoted agriculture by introducing ‘Osikapa Abia’ a brand of rice produced and bagged in Abia State.
Emphatically, the benefits and economic importance of Governor Ikpeazu’s support to locally made products cannot be overemphasized. It has provided food and served as sources of livelihood to the local producers and manufacturers. It has also given impetus and great encouragement to Abia artisans, as well as boosted the economy of Abia State and Nigeria at large.
All said and done, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has remained an unrepentant and incurable advocate for the Home-Grown Solutions to the economy of the State and nation. It is therefore imperative that all appreciates this stance of the Governor and support in their own ways to sustain this support which has the potentials of bring sustainable increase to the economy of the State and Nigeria as well as growing the economy of individual entrepreneurs.
Happy New Year!
Ubani Newman Ubani is a Senior Aide to the Governor on New Media and Publicity