First Lady Visit Abia, Donates N2 Billion for Proposed Akwete Production Hub, Says Fabric Must Go Global

Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has donated N2 billion in support of the building of a modern weaving training and research centre for Akwete fabric in  Ukwa East LGA of Abia State, saying time has come to promote, modernize and diversify Akwete cloth production for wider use.

Mrs Tinubu made the donation on Tuesday during civic reception in her honour after her engagement of Akwete Weaving Cooperative Society in Akwete, Ukwa East for which she paid a one-day visit to Abia State. Mrs. Tinubu had interacted with women weavers, inspected their cooperative’s facilities and witnessed demonstrations of the traditional hand-weaving process and vowed that the traditional heritage must not die.

The proposed research and training facility, according the wife of the President, would be deployed both as a production hub and a training institution for future generations of weavers and help to modernise the industry without eroding its cultural identity.

For her, the Akwete textile tradition is a national heritage that must be preserved and promoted across Nigeria and urged Nigerians to embrace indigenous fabric.

*Mrs. Tinubu addressing the gatheringShe also urged the weavers to preserve the authenticity of the craft while adapting it for contemporary uses.

Mrs Tinubu said her visit was divine after she watched a documentary of the weavers on NTA and mistook them for Ghanaian Kente makers.

“I don’t know anything about Akwete. I believe my visit here is divine,” the First Lady said. “I love traditional outfit because our tradition and culture tells us who we are. The moment we lose that, we won’t remember where we come from.”

She described Akwete as a “sacred craft done with love, patience and endurance” that must not be desecrated. She pledged to wear a buba and iro made from Akwete if her husband secures a second term, adding that the fabric is “soft, breathable cotton.”

The First Lady called on all Igbos to promote Akwete nationally the way Yorubas promote Aso Oke and tie and dye, urging that the fabric be modernized into bedspreads, iro and buba for wider use.

Governor Alex Otti thanked the First Lady for “inviting herself” to Abia, noting that her visit came at a strategic time as the state has been engaging Akwete women since 2023 to break barriers of tradition and scale production.

“We believe, just like you do, that there is a lot that Akwete can do,” the Governor said. “If we don’t accept technology and move very swiftly, others will take over the market. Today you have Akwete being made in India and China.”

Dr Otti said Abia had designed a proposal for a production hub for Akwete women and would submit it to the First Lady for possible partnership. He also commended President Bola Tinubu for “courageous” economic reforms, saying removal of fuel subsidy and floating of the naira had freed funds for infrastructure and production.

Abia First Lady, Mrs Priscilla Otti, said the visit was historic as it was the first time a Nigerian First Lady came in person to support Akwete weavers. She described Akwete as one of the oldest Igbo textile traditions, “woven by hand on upright looms” and passed from mother to daughter.

“For me it is deeply personal,” Mrs Otti said. “Akwete cloth was among the most treasured gifts presented to me during my traditional marriage over 30 years ago. Behind every thread is the creativity and resilience of an Abia woman.”

Former Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Sampson Uche Ogah, said the visit would bring global recognition to Akwete and empower women, who he described as “the fulcrum for the existence of many families.”

Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe said the women of Akwete were “the real bedrock of our society” for combining weaving with family care and contributing to household income. He also pledged support for the proposed centre for research and training of Akwete weavers.

Hon. Chris Nkwonta, member representing Ukwa East/Ukwa West Federal Constituency, pledged to work with the First Lady and the Governor to build a befitting weaving and research centre to train upcoming women and ensure the craft survives the next 20 years.

Highlight of the event was the conferment of the chieftaincy title of “Ugonwanyi” on the First Lady by the Abia State Traditional Rulers Council.