Economic Recession: 2,000 Aba Shoemakers Shut Down Operations

Not fewer than 2,000 shoemakers was said to have shut down operation in Aba, Abia state because they cannot pay for imported glue or synthetic leather, whose prices have surged due to the scarcity of dollars.

According to Newtelegraph report, Uche Okeke, who used to make 1,000 pairs of women’s shoes a month before the price of glue quadrupled, forcing him to nearly halve production and lay off half his 10 staff.

Goodluck Nmeri, chairman of the 6,000-strong shoemakers association, said their business face very serious threat as it has become very difficult to obtain foreign exchange, even from the parallel market to import the necessary inputs that go into the shoes they make.

“We are tired of hearing about support from the Federal Government. We read about it in the newspapers, hear it on television and radio. But it’s just talk; we have not seen anything concrete. All we want is forex, regular power supply and good roads to enable our customer come in and leave when they want”

He called on the Federal Government to ban the importation of shoes and fully made cloths into the country, saying the market has more than the capacity needed to produce all that Nigerian needs to wear. “We can do it here in Aba, try us. We currently depend on export of our products and a fraction sold in the country, because Nigerians are crazy about anything that has a foreign label.