LarryBravo Nwaiwu, Enugu

Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima has promised Nigerians that the Federal Government will work with the country’s visionary leaders irrespective of their party lines .

He lauded Governor Peter Mbah’s development strides in Enugu State, noting that he was turning the state around through multiple projects across all sectors.

Shettima, who was in Enugu on Tuesday to commission the Enugu State Garment and Fashion Hub as well as unveil the 5th Expanded National Micro, Small, and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSME) Clinics, which are collaborative efforts of the Federal Government and Enugu to boost MSMEs in the state, also used the opportunity to tour some of the infrastructural projects by the Mbah Administration, such as the Command and Control security infrastructure and the International Conference Centre.

He stressed that time for politics was over and stressed Federal Government’s readiness to work with visionary leaders across party lines to move the country forward.

“Let us put politics aside. We are now in the phase of development. Politics is over. We have to coalesce into a single force and face the challenges of underdevelopment in our Nation. Governor Peter Mbah means well for the people of Enugu State and he is humble.

“I am specifically enamored of his security project. I am happy for his investment in supplying water to Enugu. Most importantly, education is the greatest changer. Within a generation, the son of a peasant can become a celebrated icon. The investment of Peter Mbah in Smart Schools will yield a bountiful harvest in the coming years.

“If I say I was impressed by what I saw in Enugu, it is an understatement. I was overwhelmed by the giant strides recorded by Governor Mbah and his team. He has embraced modernity. He has embraced digital technology. Most of the things I saw are avant-garde technology, state-of-the-art security infrastructure, and beautiful road network. He is doing excellently well and he is worthy to be emulated by other governors across the length and breadth of this nation.

“He is one of the few CEOs, who are versatile in the potentiality of the Information Technology industry. I want to join all of us here in thanking Governor Peter Mbah for taking charge of the opportunities that abound and incidentally the Minister of Science and Technology is here and he is a son of Enugu. I want you to join forces to see that Enugu occupies its rightful place.

“Enugu is an equivalent of Kaduna and Ibadan. But till the emergence of Governor Peter Mbah, Enugu was sleeping, a town that did not even have  water supply.

“Your Excellency, we want to commend and identify with you. We have to sustain that brotherhood and relationship for the good of our people, both in development, infrastructure, we can change the narrative from negativity to positivity,” he said.

The Vice President emphasised that MSMEs were critical to economic growth, noting that the garment and fashion hub would serve as “a stepping stone to the economic highways, providing an exchange in support of manufacturing in Enugu State, boosting production capacity and in enabling economy of scale.”

Shettima said the hub was capable of creating about 48,000 jobs and announced a N150,000 outright grant to all the MSMEs that distinguished themselves during the MSME clinics.

Speaking, Governor Mbah restated his administration’s commitment to boosting MSMEs, describing them as the lifeblood of economic growth and thanked the Federal Government for its continued support to Enugu in regard.

The governor, who is a recipient of the 2024 MSMEs Awards by the Office of the Vice President, observed that almost 90 percent of businesses in the country were small scale.

“But as important as MSMEs may be, their success is no chance occurrence. They thrive only through careful policies that enhance the ease-of-doing-business climate, comprising key enablers like the sustained provision of infrastructure, security, efficient legal and regulatory framework, among others,” he stated.

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, commended the collaborative efforts of the FG and Enugu State to grow MSMEs noting that what he saw at the Enugu State Garment  and Fashion Hub was a clear indication that the youths of Nigeria had so much to offer if provided with the right opportunity and environment.

Earlier in their welcome addresses, the Special Adviser to Governor Mbah on MSMEs and Digital Economy, Arinze Chilo-Offia, and the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Job Creation and MSMEs, Temitola Adekunle Johnson, thanked the FG and Enugu State Government for the collaboration and support that saw to the success of the initiatives.