Nigeria to locally produce paramilitary uniforms, boots
Nigeria is on the verge of meeting the entire uniform and boot requirements of its paramilitary agencies from local sources, as the Aba-based shoe and garment factory prepares for full operations.
This will be complemented by a leather processing tannery slated to commence operations in Kano State within the next three months.
Dr. Jobson Oseodion Ewalefoh, Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), disclosed this in Abuja during a courtesy visit by the Chief Executive Officer of Erojim Investments Limited, Dr. Jimmy Ntuen.
The development, he noted, aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive on the procurement of locally produced goods under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
According to a statement released on Sunday by ICRC spokesperson Ifeanyi Nwoko, the Aba factory—which operates under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiative with the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS)—is the largest shoe factory in West Africa and has the installed capacity to produce 1,500 shoes and cut 10,000 garments daily.
Dr. Ewalefoh noted that with the expected addition of the Kano tannery, the country now has sufficient resources to meet the demand for boots and uniforms for paramilitary personnel, while also creating a sustainable pipeline for local manufacturing and job creation.
“This initiative is not only about uniforms and boots,” Ewalefoh said. “It’s about job creation, industrial development, and the gradual substitution of imports with Nigerian-made goods. The President’s directive on local procurement is being implemented with concrete results.”
He described the PPP model deployed in the Aba facility as a critical success story in the government’s drive to build economic resilience and support local enterprise, stressing that the Renewed Hope Agenda is designed to enhance self-reliance and promote national productivity.
Dr. Jimmy Ntuen, whose company Erojim Investment Limited is the concessionaire operating the Aba factory, revealed that the facility has already supplied thousands of shoes to the Nigerian Correctional Service and is prepared to extend its services to other paramilitary formations across the country.
“We have demonstrated our capacity to meet the needs of government agencies, and we’re expanding to serve the general public very soon,” Dr. Ntuen stated. “Our Aba factory has created over 300 direct jobs, and with the upcoming launch of the new facility, which will handle leather, shoe, and garment production, we expect to create an additional 340 direct jobs and over 1,500 indirect jobs.”
He added that the Aba plant’s output meets global standards, noting that with adequate support and infrastructure, Nigerian manufacturers can match international competitors in quality and reliability.
The factory’s impact is already being felt, with the production of high-quality shoes that have reached government agencies. The next phase of operations will focus on expanding capacity, diversifying client bases, and accelerating distribution to agencies and the public.
The Kano tannery, once operational, will ensure that the raw materials needed for large-scale shoe production are readily available, reducing dependence on foreign imports for leather and other inputs. This development is expected to reinforce Nigeria’s positioning as a hub for footwear and garment manufacturing in the sub-region.
The collaboration between the ICRC, the Nigeria Correctional Service, and private sector partners like Erojim Investments is emerging as a model of success under the administration’s PPP strategy, with the dual goal of meeting government supply needs and spurring industrial growth.
With steady government support and the right policy environment, the Aba factory and Kano tannery are set to transform the landscape of local manufacturing in Nigeria, offering a sustainable solution to long-standing challenges in the uniform supply chain for paramilitary institutions.
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