Garment Factory Springs Up In Osun With A Bang •Targets Over 3,000 Employments

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola delivering his address
at the commissioning of Omoluabi Garment Factory-Sam and Sara, at
Abere, Osogbo, State of Osun on Monday 26-08-2013
The efforts of Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s administration to attract investors to the state have begun to yield results as a garment factory, Omoluabi Garment Factory, has sprung up in the state.
Commissioning the factory located at Abere on Monday, the governor said the industry was a product of his administration’s policy to reap the economic benefits of the production of the school uniform, provided for school children in the state.
The governor added that the factory is just one of the factories that have been brought into existence through the administration’s education revitalisation project, as another factory will, in a short time, begin the production of the e-learning tablet, Opon-Imo, and other electronic gadgets in Ilesa.
He said: “We have since supplied 750,000 uniforms to all our public school pupils free-of-charge. Through this alone, we have provided job opportunities for our market women, who supplied the materials for the uniforms and about 3,000 tailors, who sewed them.
“But this Omoluabi Garment Factory that we are commissioning today is a product of the policy to reap the economic benefits of the production of the school uniforms. This factory will henceforth produce the school uniforms here; it will employ our people here; it will buy its inputs from here, and the batik it will produce will be sewn by our tailors here.
“All of these, among other gains, will have numerous spin-offs that will rebound to the advantage of the people of the State of Osun. The uniform material will be sold and sewn at control prices, so as to make it affordable for our people.
“This garment factory is one testimony of our investment drive and our commitment to attracting investors to our state. We have the market and the human and material resources. As a government, we are most willing to provide the enabling environment in infrastructure and security needed for thriving economic activities.”
He also charged the managers of the factory to be innovative and be uncompromisingly committed to quality, as he expressed the commitment of his administration to focus on the implementation of its policies, with the assurance that the people will be better for it.
Speaking, the Managing Director of Sam and Sarah Garment Factory, Mrs Folake Oyemade, said that with the advent of the factory, the state, in partnership with the company, has been able to reduce the unemployment rate and impprove the economic power of the people.
She said that in the quest for job creation, the company has partnered with the state government and trained 500 tailors, while another 500 youths and individuals, who have flair for garment making are presently being trained.
By the end of the year, she assured that 3,000 individuals would have been trained, promising to employ as many as are willing to work with the company.
In his address, the State Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives and Empowerment, Mr Ismaila Alagbada, revealed that several local, foreign and private investors have continued to submit proposals to partner with the state government in the execution of diverse projects that will add value to the state economy.
This, according to him, is an indication of the high confidence reposed in the administration by the investors, saying that very soon, Osun will become a reference point as the state with the fastest growing economy in Nigeria.
He further noted that the commissioning of the factory was a signal that the much-desired industrial revolution is around the corner.
In their goodwil messages, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, represented by the Chairman, House Committee on Commerce, Cooperatives and Empowerment, Honourable Debo Akanbi and the Timi of Edeland, Oba Adesola Lawal, commended the governor for the facilitation of the factory.
The duo said that Aregbesola’s approach to governance would continue to be a reference point, as the approach has been having positive impact on the lives of the people.
OSUN DEFENDER