By Okeh, Onyekachi.

To that brother whose one of his major reasons of stepping out every Sunday to kneel down at the altar is to show the congregants from the sole of his shoe, the designer brand that he is putting on, please kindly scan through this write-up briefly without committing your mind to the content except you want to see another side to living a more fulfilling life of great quality.

To the woman who only takes pride in choking fellow suffering Nigerian citizens by routinely “dropping” of luxury shoe brand names as worn by her man to gain recognition, you may lack the depth needed to comprehend this material I am about to put out here.

Sundays in the South East are somewhat sacred days when everyone is expected to be in the church communicating with their various supreme beings except for the days a set of confused folks based overseas, from the comfort of their various rooms declare “sit at home” for law abiding citizens in the South East, which often grinds every of our activity here to a terrible halt, Church services inclusive.

A gym partner of mine who happens to be a Medical Doctor had just called me over the phone quite early to plead with me to kindly assist him pick up a way bill from a driver at Romchi Mass Transit Park.

This was an errand I ran in the most exciting manner being that it was on my way to the gym but never was I prepared for the reality I was going to be meeting with, that morning in the line of the product I had just gone to pick up on his behalf.

However, I met with the driver whom I paid on behalf of my friend for helping him deliver the goods that I was yet to know what it was all about all the way from Enugu with no fuss.

On getting to the gym, while I waited for my gym mate to show up, I took a peep at the goods I had just picked up on his behalf and if I must be honest, these were well made leather shoes that I had already concluded are designer brands most probably way billed from a big dealer or importer based in Enugu, who definitely get his stocks from overseas.

Doctors most times by the virtue of the services they render have a privilege of unimaginable access to all classes of people in the society, this is a fact you can take to the bank.

So I assumed that this was one of the products of such accesses.
Little was I prepared for the rude shock that was about to be hauled at me when my friend shows up and in the most reckless manner ever.

When he eventually showed up at the gym, he told me in plain language and quite casually, that these well finished shoes made with exquisite leather that I was looking at were made by a fellow Nigerian, South Eastern based entrepreneur based in Enugu State.

The thought of that gladdened my heart deeply and I immediately took a decision to follow through and find out the owner of this shoe brand called RM - 16.

Therefore, the joy that we must not necessarily have to visit China or Turkey directly or indirectly to get our well-made shoes of choice made me appreciate the craft of this young entrepreneur who is reputed to be a thorough and well skilled entrepreneur who is based somewhere in Enugu – the never die spirit of the Nigerian youth is best only imagined.

On reaching out to this young man who has been in the business since 2016 till date, I was able to connect with a man who has gone through the thick and thin made possible by the Nigerian extremely harsh business climate.

Despite the challenges he has remained absolutely resolute at building a brand that would serve his teeming/quite loyal clients while providing employment opportunities for the staff he employs so as to meet up with the orders which never stop coming in his direction owing to the quality his brand is known for, from all sides of the world.

There are no shortage of talented youths in Nigeria who can play critical roles in the economic transformation of our society from a consumption and importation dependent economy to an extremely productive economy, as long as the political class can effectively provide security for lives and property, access to capitals or grants for startups and promulgate laws to ensure that the monetary policies makes the cost of the raw materials used in these businesses fairly constant and especially for those of them that are imported, shielding them from the fluctuation realities of the Naira against the Dollar which is our major foreign exchange tool.

The fact that we have a Mr. Chibuzor Offor, CEO RM - 16 Shoes who has grown his business from that which was operated in a one room apartment to that which is being run in a duplex, then crashed to the ground again because of the terrain he operates in and has lately picked up again at an unbelievably dynamic capacity, tells you the opportunities that abound in such a business if one can persevere more while delivering goods of premium quality to his numerous clients at an affordable cost with a functional customer care approach that answers to all the questions of their numerous clients.

This is how we can build an indigenous shoe manufacturing company that would serve many nations in the years to come from which they would pay tax to the government thereby shoring up the internally generated revenue base.

The impact of institutions like this on our economy as a nation can only be imagined, if they are supported to operate at full capacity and this is a typical illustration of how we can move from a consumption based to production thriving economy.

The story of this young entrepreneur is one which is aimed at motivating the young people who are working hard to earn a living in Nigeria despite the harsh realities of doing business in the Nigerian ecosystem, to keep at their dreams.

The RIM - 16 brand is known for delivering goods of exceptional quality timely and doing business with them remains a task that you would enjoy to partake in from my personal experience although I would want to hear about your own experience patronizing them.

Just as China, India, Vietnam and Indonesia are global leaders in the shoe making industry, the industry is a great foreign currency earner for these countries.

With a constantly growing massive population standing at over two hundred million (200,000,000) for a country like Nigeria and with the African Continent Free Trade Area agreement (ACFTA) amongst African nations, which makes it easier for African nations to transact among themselves, we can leverage on such comparative advantages to serve a larger African market from Enugu, South Eastern Nigeria thereby raising a lot of revenue for the nation and creating phenomenal job opportunities for our unemployed youths while creating wealth for the entrepreneurs involved.

Having patronized the brand in question, this review is borne from a place of my desire to contribute strategically to building local brands that would serve the world from the South Eastern part of Nigeria without hassles. It is doable and if pursued with the singleness and clarity of vision, it is achievable. Feel free to give me your honest assessment of this brand after your patronage, they deliver bulky orders and small orders alike of all leather shoe designs.

Finally, I am worried for the CEO of this brand and his ability to stay back in Nigeria post 2023 election. Loosing an asset of this magnitude to the Western world would be a big loss to the Nigerian economy.

Ka m biakwa nụ!!

©KaTcHmoney Inc™.

NOTE; My relationship with him is purely business toned, I have never met him before and he also doesn't ask for "cash" payment, his online platforms are good and he majorly accepts transfers of payments.

#enugubusiness #enugu #shoesaddict