By Ihechi Enyinnaya
Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, has resumed his engagements after a brief break on medical advice, with a renewed call for investment in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as a pathway to Nigeria’s economic revival.
Obi, who disclosed this in a statement on Monday, said his first engagement was a visit to the Maison de Helen (MDH) factory, a Nigerian luxury fashion brand founded in 1990 by designer Helen Unuane. The brand, now sustained by her daughter Elsie Unuane, has gained recognition for its use of indigenous fabrics, particularly from the Akwete people, to create world-class fashion pieces.
He praised the brand as “a living proof of how Nigerian creativity, heritage, and enterprise can resonate on the global stage,” while noting that SMEs are the backbone of every economy.
“MDH provides direct and indirect employment to over 50 young Nigerians and can do much more with increased investment and support,” Obi said. He lamented that while countries like Bangladesh generate over $50 billion from textile exports alone, Nigeria’s once-thriving textile industry has collapsed to “a regrettable level,” contributing little to the nation’s economy.
Obi stressed that Nigeria must replicate the MDH success story across thousands of SMEs, insisting that a deliberate shift from consumption to production will lift millions out of poverty and position Nigeria as a hub of creativity and trade.
“A new Nigeria is possible,” he added.