Foreign Investor Set to Revive Moribund Issele-Uku Garment Hub

A renowned foreign investor, Brijtopnet Ltd, has commended the Delta State Government for the concession of the Issele-Uku Garment Hub, pledging commitment to making it work, in line with the MORE Agenda of the Oborevwori administration.

The compromise aims to strengthen local production capacity, industrial clusters, and enhance sustainable employment in Delta’s rural and semi-urban communities.

Addressing newsmen at the premises shortly after an inspection and inventory of the facility, the representative of Brijtopnet Ltd, Bridget Ajala-Alexis, expressed appreciation to the State Government for the decision to concession the factory.

Ajala-Alexis, who was accompanied by DeltaBridge Ltd delegates and a representative of a financial institution, said, “The foreign investor came under Brijtopnet. Brijtopnet is an organization that birthed other enterprises, now Delta Bridge. The essence of the concession is to get the Issele-Uku Garment Hub, which has been abandoned for about 12 years, working again.

“The proposal was done in 2020, and we have been following up. We got a lot of pushback, but we didn’t relent. We found out that we have the garri processing section, palm wine, Akwa-Ocha weaving department, leather factory, shoe-making department, bakery, and ICT department fully furnished then.

“We wrote the proposal after we got a glimpse of what the place looked like from afar and we visited the place. We noticed that the place has been vandalized.

“But immediately the present administration took over, we brought back the proposal again with the vision to get that place working. We got a very pleasant response from the Commissioner for Trade and Investment, who has been supporting us since he assumed office.

“And finally, it got signed off last month, after three years of chasing and not giving up due to our persistence, because we knew what we were planning to do, as our vision was clear — to provide jobs for the people and revive that facility again.

“The facilities at the Garment Hub are top-notch, and the structures are solid. Unfortunately, they failed to maximize the potential of what they had. Personally, I had to bring in foreign investors because I saw the immense opportunities that space holds, and I didn’t hesitate to act. However, during our recent visit, the situation was deeply discouraging. It felt like being handed an empty matchbox. It was heartbreaking. Still, despite the setback, we will not relent”, she said.

In the same vein, the General Manager, Delta Bridge Limited, Samuel Nnamdi, commended the Oborevwori administration for its industrial development policy that led to the concessioning of the facility, applauding its visionary leadership in reviving industries in the state.

He highlighted the core aim of DeltaBridge Ltd, stating that it is the consortium body in charge of the Issele-Uku Garment Hub, which is made up of six other partners in charge of various sectors, with Brijtopnet as the mother hen.

“We just want to express how displeased we are with the fact that they blame government for not being responsible for things. Meanwhile, the individuals assigned with the responsibility of overseeing these facilities are not responsible themselves. They all keep shifting blame.

“We can assure that in two years, you will see a  difference. Delta Bridge cannot wait to kick off operations, not minding the situation of things. What we saw in there is not a drawback to our vision, but it will only cost us more as an extra financial demand, because we know that it’s capital intensive to get that facility up and running,” Nnamdi said.

He added that the reinspection, from the roof down to the foundation, was to ascertain the extent of vandalism of the properties.