Made In Aba needs no introduction. Leather shoes, bags, belts, shirts, trousers, accessories, everything fashion, is essentially available in Ariaria. Most of the products you’ll find in this market are locally made with zero government support for the manufacturers. There are hardly any large factories with modern equipment, but the local artisans still thrive.

Sometime in late 2015, Brazilian investors made their interest in the market known. No one knows what became of that interest, or if they ever did put their money in Aba products but come October 1, 2016, MadeInAba.com.ng – an e-commerce platform, modelling the likes of Jumia and AliBaba “with unique Aba flavours” is scheduled to go live.

Sam Hart, Special Assistant to the Governor of Abia, Okezie Ikpeazu, made the announcement via his Twitter account yesterday and are we excited or what?! This development sure chimes with the MadeInNigeria and Buy Naija to grow the naira campaigns of the Pres. Muhammadu Buhari’s administration so it’s worth exploring. But before we get too excited, let’s take a moment to consider a few irregularities…

1. If you’re familiar with Aba products, then you’d know they are mostly synonymous with inferiority. Most people will never spend their hard-earned cash on a pair of shoes that will give way in about a year or so, people look out for quality and durability and Aba-made products rarely have those features.

So yesterday someone said they bought a carton of 6 shoes, all made in Aba, for 900 naira. They lasted her 2 years https://t.co/CMyYHBThFj

— Osarodion U. Obayiuwana ?? ?? ?? (@Dion_Obay) September 20, 2016

With this testimony above, maybe N900 worth of shoes won’t hurt anyone when they’re torn apart but still, quality always comes before quantity. If this MadeInAba project is to compete on an international scale, then the quality of production has to be top-notch. We cannot continue to settle for the mediocre so the government can intervene by providing adequate training and resources to the artisans.

2. As this is Nigeria, and the government historically robs shortchanges its citizens, this online platform might just be another political statement by the Abia government. As we are not sure how the site will work, let’s break this down hypothetically. A typical Aba trader/artisan is not exposed to the internet or social media, so how does he register and display his works on the site? Will the Abia state government be saddled with the tough responsibility of sourcing the products and displaying them on the site for customer purchase? How are profits channeled to the local traders? There are so many questions to ask and Hart still has a lot of explaining to do. Or should we just put our thoughts on hold till October 1st…

On the good side…

3. Nigerians have a voracious appetite for foreign brands and famous labels. If #MadeInAba is excellently done, it might cure our craze for foreign, over-priced products. Attention shifts to locally made fashion completely and dependence on crude oil is reduced once the products are good enough for export, then the naira will be on its way back to the top. All of this if #MadeInAba is not another government flop.