By Okechukwu Keshi Ukegbu
God willing and other things being equal, when the administration of Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu elapses on May 29th, 2023, no doubt, he will bequeth some strong legacies to the Abia economy. The governor during his reign has thought outside the box like he once emphasised thusly”We are thinking outside the box. We want to make sure that Abia survives the post-oil era.” The term”Thinking outside the box, which is also referred to as thinking out of the box or thinking beyond the box, is widely used in business circles, especially by management consultants and executive coaches. The phrase has been referenced in a number of advertising slogans. The phrase was derived from management consultants in the 1970s and1980s challenging their clients to solve the “nine dots” puzzle, whose solution requires some lateral thinking . It is a metaphor that means to think differently, unconventionally, or from a new perspective. It often refers to novel or creative thinking.
Indeed, the times call for both individual and corporate entities to think outside to confront frontally the challenging times occasioned by harsh economic conditions. It is incontrovertible that Nigeria is facing its lowest ebb in economy- inflation is hitting the high heavens, the terms of trade is is at its most negative pedestals and also worsened by external shocks that have left the country most times borrowing in a bid to square up the deficit to no avail. On the other hand, our mono-cultural economy which is solely driven by oil is fluctuating as it is determined by the market forces. If the the predictions John Reid, a British Defence in 2006 “that our diminishing natural resources and climate change could lead to conflict to protect resources such as oil, water, viable agricultural land, is anything to bank on, Nigeria is in for deeper crisis because according to Paul Middleton in his book” The End of Oil: the Gulf, Nigeria and Beyond,” with the world’s population rising, global consumption soaring, energy supplies declining and climate change accelerating, we are literally on the verge of a global struggle for resources”.
Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu saw all these coming and as a visionary began to prepare for the rainy. One of the bold steps he took was to assume the brand ambassador of made-in Aba wears.
Few characteristics mark out brand ambassadors. One is that they should have an appreciable knowledge of the core principles of marketing. Another is that they should reach out to a wide range of people.
Also, brand ambassadors have the capacity to influence people’s perception of products as well encourage them to patronise the product. Another important function of brand ambassadors is to foster strong relationships between customers and the brand. They also gather feedback from customers about a product. This will enable the firm to improve on their products and services.
These and more are what Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State is doing for the made-in-Aba wears as brand ambassador. The governor has not relented in his efforts to ensure that these products capture the global market and attract huge patronage. He has taken advantage of every opportunity to market made-in-Aba wears. One of the occasions was the 2016 Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Forum held in Lagos where the governor did not take chances to launch made-in-Aba shoes. This excited former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who served as one of the panelists, to place an order for pairs of shoes.
This also prompted Senate President Bukola Saraki to urge other military and paramilitary outfits in the country to emulate the army by immediately banning the purchase of all imported foot wears in preference to locally produced ones.
Gov Ikpeazu’s dedication in promoting made-in Aba wears has prompted calls from several quarters on the federal government to ban importation of all goods that Nigerians have the capacity to produce locally.
It will be recalled that former Senate President David Mark in 2013 during a trade fair to launch made-in-Aba products in Abuja described Aba as the “catalyst of industrial revolution in Nigeria” and urged the federal government to discourage importation of foreign goods because Nigeria has no business importing those goods which do not measure to the quality being produced in the country.
Gov. Ikoeazu’s untiring market efforts will be highly appreciated in the state and beyond long after he has left office as the governor of the state especially now that serious pressure is exerted on our currency (naira) because of import dependency .This situation is necessitated by weak, narrow export base where revenues generated from oil and gas account for over 70 percent of our foreign exchange earnings.
His efforts, if sustained, will go a long way in ameliorating the economic woes of the country by saving the nation the foreign currencies expended on importation of goods and services (even those we have the capacity of producing).
Another strong legacy Gov. Ikpeazu will be bequeathing the state is the ” rigid cement technology “. The state has adopted cement technology in some of the roads .A technology that is capital intensive. But Ikpeazu’s motive behind the adoption of the technology is that the roads will outlast his administration. Because, according to him, it will be counter-productive if the administration, within one to two years, borrows solicits for loans to rehabilitate these roads after they must have collapsed.
Cement technology, also known as “Rigid Pavement Technology in road construction, ensures the mixture of crush rock-based materials and other items to achieve a thickness fill and compaction to the level of 300mm.
This is followed by a concrete reinforcement cast with 8mm to10mm-high tensil (mash of wires) reinforcement bars over the stabilised base before treating it with prime coat and asphaltic concrete.
Though the cost of this technology is higher than those of the conventional construction methods, Gov. Ikpeazu chooses this technology as a means of strengthening the load-bearing capacity of roads in Abia and to boost the strength and quality of the finished work.The technology has a sustainability guarantee of10 to 20 years.
Cement technology is one of the technologies used in the construction of airport runways, tarmac and places with heavy loads like machines and equipment. The technology is a good solution for achieving sustainable roads in Nigeria.
Indeed, the current Nigerian economy requires every governor to think outside the box, and that is what Gov. Ikpeazu is doing in Abia.
