By Steve Oko, Umuahia
Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, has challenged Ndigbo to respond to the growing entry of Chinese nationals into retail business in Lagos by abandoning dependence on conventional trading and moving aggressively into manufacturing and digital commerce.
Otti said the changing face of commerce, particularly the emergence of Chinese competitors in a sector long dominated by Igbo traders, should compel Ndigbo to rethink their economic strategy rather than engage in a struggle to preserve the old model of trading.
The Governor spoke Monday night at the Michael Okpara Auditorium, Umuahia, during the Igbo Day lecture and dinner organised by Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide.
His words: “We are leaving that place of trading. In Abia, we have markets; the markets are important. But we are moving from the market to manufacturing.”
Otti said Abia was deliberately positioning itself as a manufacturing and technology hub, with his administration investing in digital skills and encouraging young people to participate in the emerging global digital economy.
“We are driving digital delivery. We are leaving that physical store for digital delivery. So, when somebody talked about Alibaba, that’s exactly where we are headed,” he said.
The governor was responding to concerns over the increasing presence of Chinese traders in Lagos retail markets and their growing competition with Igbo entrepreneurs.
Rather than see the development solely as a threat, Otti said Ndigbo should recognise it as evidence that the global economy was changing and adapt accordingly.
“So, why are the Chinese coming to compete with us? We are moving away from there. And it’s going to start in Abia.
“Abia is both manufacturing and then trading. But we are moving from conventional trading to digital trading. That’s where the world is going. You either embrace it or you risk being left behind,” he warned.
Otti said his administration’s TechRise initiative was designed to equip young Abians with skills required to compete in that emerging economy.
“When I spend money here training my young people in digital technology under the TechRise initiative, I know what I am doing. Some of them are already working for Google and Amazon from Aba,” he said.
Ohanaeze raises alarm.
But President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Senator John Azuta-Mbata, said the growing Chinese presence in Lagos retailing should make Ndigbo more alert and cautious.
He said the development was particularly significant because retail trade had historically been one of the strongest economic areas of Igbo enterprise.
Azuta-Mbata said the situation underscored the need for Ndigbo to move beyond individual commercial success and develop a coordinated strategy for protecting and expanding their economic interests.
He said the Igbo Day Lecture and Dinner was convened to harness the collective strength of Ndigbo through a unified development strategy.
According to him, Ndigbo had demonstrated exceptional enterprise, resilience and individual brilliance but were yet to fully convert those qualities into collective development.
Azuta-Mbata said the Igbo Charter for Strategic Engagement for National Development, prepared by more than 67 Igbo technocrats and business leaders, provides a framework for engaging the Nigerian State and the wider world.
He also called for greater protection of Igbo culture and language, proposing that Igbo be made compulsory in primary and secondary schools across the South-East.
The Ohanaeze leader further urged the Federal Government to find a political solution to the continued detention of IPOB leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
‘Take our destiny in our hands.’
Chairman of the occasion, Chief Onyema Ugochukwu, urged Ndigbo to move beyond complaints and take practical steps to shape their collective future.
“We must look forward to building a brighter future, moving beyond complaining about those who won’t give us our due, to taking our destiny in our own hands,” he said.
Ugochukwu commended Otti for what he described as good governance in Abia and praised Ohanaeze for sustaining the annual Igbo Day celebration.
Otti, who assured Ohanaeze of his administration’s support, said the theme of the celebration, “Njikọ Ka” — Unity is Supreme, captured the importance of collective action in driving development.
He said his administration had laid a foundation for the state’s transformation.
“We have retrieved and recovered our state. And the only way to go is up. Once you have laid the foundation, the only way to go is up,” he said.
Prof. Kingsley Moghalu, Chairman of the Igbo Charter Committee for Strategic Engagement for National Development, delivered the keynote lecture at the event.
Some eminent personalities at the event included Senator Enyinnaya Abari; Deputy Governor Engr. Ikechukwu Emetu, his predecessor, Dr Ude Oko Chukwu; wife of the late Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe; former Abia Speaker Dr Agwu U. Agwu; members of the National Assembly; traditional rulers; clergy; business leaders; and Ndigbo from across the country.
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