By Kalu Aja
On August 27, 1991, Abia State was created.

There are many good things to celebrate about Abia State, e.g., Abia has stayed constant in WAEC performance…Abia has always been among the top three states with WAEC pass rates. Enyimba of Aba won Nigeria’s first and only Champions League Cup twice.

“Aba-made” goods, i.e., SME manufacturing in Abia, Nigeria, have not died off; instead, they have been resilient and have survived, even without government support.

Abia was the first State in Nigeria to have a privately owned, independent gas-fired IPP, the Geometric Power in Aba. Abia also has a vibrant non-oil economy with palm oil, Cassava, and Cocoa (yes, Cocoa, Abia is the fifth-largest cocoa producer in Nigeria).

All these achievements have come not because of direct government policy in Abia State or the South East region.

Abia is blessed to have Aba, perhaps the largest SME cluster in Sub-Saharan Africa, which can generate enough Internally Generated Revenue irrespective of crude oil price remittances. Yet, how many government-approved industrial estates are in Aba?

Aba is a residential town overtaken by manufacturers, unplanned, unsafe for SME manufacturing.

We have a few ideas for the State and Region.

Get a Plan
Call in the technocrats, agree, and publish a 20-year plan to identify Abia States’ critical competitive advantage and build on it. Abia State was part of the defunct Eastern region that, in 1964, was rated as the fastest-growing in the Third World by the UNDP. The road map should have a clear target to make Abia the most significant state economy in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2041. That’s an apolitical goal and it is possible with vision, action, and responsibility. The private sector base in Abia already exists; thus, the Government of Abia must see itself as a business enabler via business-friendly policies.

Make it easier to do business in Abia
In the latest edition of the World Bank Ease of Doing Business in Nigeria, Abia ranks 16th in starting a business in Nigeria, 34 in registering property, and 32 in enforcing contracts. Not good enough. Making Abia the num

Brand your success
There is no “Abuja made” in Nigeria, just “Aba made.” Own that brand, work it, set standards, drive it, monetize it. Such a slogan should be accompanied by clear policies to attract SMEs to Abia.

Pass clear business-friendly tax laws; take infrastructure, allow SMEs to pool together, raise capital stock, and invest in basic infrastructure. They can claim it back in PAYE tax credits. If an SME builds a solar farm and generates power to light up a street, give that as a tax credit back to the SME. If a state locates its manufacturing in Abia from another state, reduce their PAYE. Compete.

Don’t forget to go “smart”
Fix up Aba, from the simple widening of roads, street numbering, open space green areas, and public sanitation to more ambitious goals of providing superfast broadband in Aba. Abia State got approval for a $200 million AfDB facility for Rural Access and Mobility Project (RAMP) in Abia in 2017. That’s funds to link Aba to rural areas and it should drive commerce.

Build new modern industrial clusters in Abia
If Cross River, without oil, could build Tinapa, why can’t Aba with 13% crude oil derivation fund earnings not build a modern industrial cluster with warehouses, offices, roads?

These infrastructure plans can be financed by the State issuing a diaspora bond to Nigerians living offshore. The
State should provide the land and title as equity.

The CBN policy on foreign exchange transactions presents an opportunity to the State. Abia has an active diaspora,
draw up a remittance policy to enable that diaspora to send cash to relatives living in Abia or in the southeast. It should be possible for a citizen in Austin, Texas, to Pay USD to say Bank of America/Abia account in Dallas, and the Abia government pays Naira cash in Nigeria.

The Abia government can build up large USD deposits, which it can deploy to importers at a profit to the State government. The State foreign reserves can be used to import items on the “CBN Import restriction list.”

The State wants to invest in an airport; this is good but not urgent. The State should focus on partnering with Anambra State to build a railway from Onitsha to Aba. Julius Berger has confirmed it can bring in any container from any port in the world to the Warri Port. The Anambra state Shippers Association has adopted Warri Port as its destination port of choice. Abia State should get investors to build bonded warehouses in Onitsha. With the rail link, imports can come from China to Warri then to Aba; similarly, cassava exports can go from Aba to Onitsha to China. Abia’s taxes from this port, rail carriage, and increased commerce will be bigger than 13% oil derivation.

Bottomline
Abia and other States will do well to discover their competitive advantage and build local economies from that point.

While the post has used Abia State, these opportunities for Regional synergies and taking advantage of the diaspora are open to all States in Nigeria. Economic development has to start from the cottage industries in the States. The States must prioritize Local Direct Capital and enable commerce, not just tax it.

https://nairametrics.com/2021/09/05/5-things-the-abia-state-government-should-be-thinking-seriously-about/

The only thing Abia needs now is good governor hungry and ready to develop badly like sillivan

ABIA is a dirty place you can leave

Akpu1981:
ABIA is a dirty place you can leave

is that your problem

They should develop their land, their people are running away like their is plague in Abia..... Majority of the people in other states are Abians

If you see them here in Port Harcourt and the way they open their mouth wide you may be thinking that they come from one clean environment but will be shock to know that they are from the dirtiest state in Nigeria.


Yet they are the only people that develop Lagos, Rivers,Kano, America, Europe, India, Israel and recently develop Afghanistan


Nonsense artifacts.

The Abia state government is storing barrels of kerosene for the next elections because it's of more importance to the people than any other thing else. I see the price of kerosene reducing drastically in Abia state, I see the government ordering fueling stations to even give it out to people for free.

I see father's accepting kerosene as equalivence for the bride price of their daughters, I see pastors collecting kerosene as offering and tithes in Abia state.

This I have seen.

Me keh. Wetin concern me self...

Abia... Curse own state.

Waste recycling,good road network ,power will make business sweet in Aba.The gov is trying but has to do more .If his predecessors were like him it won't have degenerated to this level.
I have never seen ppl more resilient than Aba cum Abia ppl.
See ppl trooping in from other states and nearby countries to buy made in Aba goods everyday braving the bad/flooded roads.

Abia is cursed with PDP...

Igbo land is cursed, no wonder most of them is running to Yoruba land

Abia just needs an independent honest governor, thats all

Abia state has no Governor
Ikpeazu is the worst of south East Governors In History

Akpu1981:
ABIA is a dirty place you can leave

Shut up there, see a pig from the most dirty tribe in Africa taking about the people with creativity sense while his follow house negros Good for nothing tribe is jealous of anything Abia... dirty kill all your household illiterate.

Abia has always got the worst government in the East since time immemorial

FalseProphet1:
The Abia state government is storing barrels of kerosene for the next elections because it's of more importance to the people than any other thing else. I see the price of kerosene reducing drastically in Abia state, I see the government ordering fueling stations to even give it out to people for free.

I see father's accepting kerosene as equalivence for the bride price of their daughters, I see pastors collecting kerosene as offering and tithes in Abia state.

This I have seen.

Shut up illiterate... what do your hopeless State have.

Militant30:
If you see them here in Port Harcourt and the way they open their mouth wide you may be thinking that they come from one clean environment but will be shock to know that they are from the dirtiest state in Nigeria.


Yet they are the only people that develop Lagos, Rivers,Kano, America, Europe, India, Israel and recently develop Afghanistan


Nonsense artifacts.

Ahmed sarki, last time I checked majority of ikwerebuigbo are from Ngwaland... I don't know why you animals from across River Niger are furious about what happens in Igboland...you need to be proud of your tribe. You are a pig.

Abia state is officially the worst state in the south east, Ebonyi state is miles ahead above them

StrongInBed:


Na your Papa is cursed, yoruba Land my ass as if you are not second class under the Igbos in your third world brown zinc region.. I'm sure your father just sold his last portion of land to Emeka,bloody coward.

because u people nw own small piece of land in Yoruba land u won't let us here word again, yet if don't sell land to you, u will call it tribalism, Yoruba land is over 10 million hectares, so nw tell me how many hectares of land does Igbo own, non-yoruba don't even own 1% of land in Yoruba land, so get sense, that's y I said ur land is cursed, buying lands in other place cos animals nw live in ur lanf

What a lovely write up by Kali Aja.
Our leaders are just daft and bereft of ideas.

myami:
By Kalu Aja
On August 27, 1991, Abia State was created.


https://nairametrics.com/2021/09/05/5-things-the-abia-state-government-should-be-thinking-seriously-about/

Of truth Aba suppose to be the Shanghai of Nigeria if their leaders are visionary.

Abia is Great,the only state that gave hopeless Nigerian house negros shoes when they were walking barefoot..the only state that can beat you up in Rivers unchallenged because ikwere and ngwa are two blood clans..

To all the lower animals that will mention me. I can only say this, thunder fire your entire family while typing shiit...we are above you.

Kiss the truth.

Busayo58:

Who is this person talking to?

Am I new in Nairaland?

Dirty dey your brain

Leave sarki alone

temitope27:
because u people nw own small piece of land in Yoruba land u won't let us here word again, yet if don't sell land to you, u will call it tribalism, Yoruba land is over 10 million hectares, so nw tell me how many hectares of land does Igbo own, non-yoruba don't even own 1% of land in Yoruba land, so get sense, that's y I said ur land is cursed, buying lands in other place cos animals nw live in ur lanf

You've no choice than to sell,I don't see where you can afford money to develop an empty land...one aboki yoruba man last time even ask me to marry his daughter after buying just four plots of land from his elder brother.

We are your new colonial master.

It is not wise for “government” to get into “business”!
Government should concentrate on governance and the provision of an enabling environment for private people to do businesses and pay taxes to government!

For example: Geometric power is wasting away because of government people being interested in “business”. It is not a good environment to invest when your principal investment is at risk (not to talk of profit).

Militant30:


Who is this person talking to?

Am I new in Nairaland?

Dirty dey your brain

Leave sarki alone

You don't even know who to quote you just dey rush rush, smh

Above me are some set of dummies who have never been to Abia before but patronize Aba-made goods unknowingly.
Abia is a state filled with lots of potentials and a mighty business hub. Their government is just not getting it right.

StrongInBed:


You've no choice than to sell,I don't see where you can afford money to develop an empty land...one aboki yoruba man last time even ask me to marry her daughter after buying just four plots of land from his elder brother.

We are your new colonial master.

thank God we av land to sell, unlike your people that the whole family fight over just 1 plot of land, do u even know how many of girls working as housemaids here in Yoruba land, running after our boys many of so useless, getting pregnant anyhow , oloshi

gtrust:
It is not wise for “government” to get into “business”!
Government should concentrate on governance and the provision of an enabling environment for private people to do businesses and pay taxes to government!

For example: Geometric power is wasting away because of government people being interested in “business”. It is not a good environment to invest when your principal investment is at risk (not to talk of profit).

Geometric power is wasting away because Barth Nnaji was told to connect it to the national grid which wasn't his plan initially.It was built to power Aba and grow the industrial cluster/SME's.
You and I know that when it gets to the national grid it won't work out its purpose anymore because just little will be distributed.
It is why Regional govt remains the best.You will see competition among Regions and not some others waiting to share from others sweat

temitope27:
thank God we av land to sell, unlike your people that the whole family fight over just 1 plot of land, do u even know how many of girls working as housemaids here in Yoruba land, running after our boys many of so useless, getting pregnant anyhow , oloshi

Our girls working as housemaid to other tribes? I've never heard it before, reverse is the case here we can't work under an inferior things,you can't afford to purchase in our land we can purchase yours because we are richer than you.

Know your level houseboy. Olosho your people are number one I've two under my care here in benin republic.

Your dirty boys no sensible igbo girl will allow to touch her pant..we know our levels in this country...find another lie my land seller.