The art and business of shoemaking in Nigeria

All across the country, Nigerian cobblers are making exquisite pieces that are competing favourably with footwear manufactured in any part of the world in quality, design and patronage, writes CHUKS OLUIGBO

Tunji Oriade likes to dress classy, always a cynosure of all eyes. This Monday morning is no exception. As he walks through the expansive waiting lounge into his office dressed in his signature white shirt, red tie, dark suit, and shiny dark shoes, all eyes are on him, eyes shiny with admiration. But what catches the most attention to this young, fast-rising executive are his shiny dark shoes branded ‘Made-in-Italy’. Many of his colleagues imagine the huge amount he must have coughed out for the obviously high-quality shoes. However, it is only Oriade and his shoemaker that know that the shoes are not that expensive, nor are they from Italy or any foreign country for that matter; they are made in Nigeria by Nigerians.

Like Oriade, many upper and middle class Nigerians are increasingly patronising made-in-Nigeria footwear disguised as foreign shoes, consciously or unconsciously. All across the country Nigerian shoemakers are manufacturing exquisite pieces that are of equal – or sometimes even higher quality – with shoes manufactured in any part of the world.

Favour Adekola, a banker who resides in Ikeja, says she gets most of her shoes from a local shoemaker in her area. She, however, adds that she does not reveal the true source of her lovely shoes to anyone in her office for fear of being laughed at, reason being that most of her colleagues claim they are in love with Italian shoes and can’t wear made-in-Nigeria. “But the reality of the matter,” says Adekola, “is that there is truly no difference between what I wear and their so-called Italian designs. In fact, they are even the ones who most of the times turn around to admire my shoes and ask for the source. Sometimes it occurs to me they might as well be wearing repackaged made-in-Nigeria in the name of Italian designs.”

Indeed, the business of shoemaking in Nigeria is becoming a lucrative one. Nigerians today have increasingly shown keen interest in locally produced shoes and are beginning to patronise them instead of foreign-made shoes or second-hand imported shoes.

“Shoemaking business seems to be generally lucrative because everybody wears shoes,” says Okechukwu Ude, a lawyer who resides in Festac, Lagos. “The demand is continuous as no one can leave their house without wearing something on their feet. And some people can change their shoes every now and then. This is especially true of women who want a different pair of shoes for every single dress in their wardrobe.”

Before now, shoemakers in Nigeria relied on locally sourced materials. That was in the boom days of the leather industry in Kano, northern Nigeria. The supply chain was such that the wholesalers, who were mainly based in Onitsha, went to Kano to get the supply; dealers in Aba would then go to Onitsha to get their supply; and people from other parts, including Lagos, would then go to Aba. And Aba and Kano were known as epicentres of local shoe production.

In a 2012 article, Salisu Ibrahim refers to Dukawa and Kofar Wambai quarters in Kano Metropolis which have been known for shoemaking from time immemorial. Here, according to him, the youths pride themselves with shoemaking business, and observers believe there is no household which does not engage, one way or another, in the production of shoes and car seat covers or both. Products made in Kofar Wambai include various high quality leather shoes ranging from styles made for royalties, sandals for men and women, and different styles of cover shoes of different leather designs and quality.

Raw materials for the industry, Ibrahim reports, were normally sourced locally. Then, animal skins were processed locally into leather. However, things seem to be changing as the products are now processed and manufactured abroad, and many local shoemakers now have to source their materials from abroad. This has somehow apparently sidelined these artisans, and as these products are imported back into the country, their prices have become exorbitant.

But in spite of these challenges, the youths of the area are not daunted. "Our people are very hardworking; they are fully occupied, they have been producing shoes as was the practice by our forefathers and we are ready to continue with it in spite of the challenges," Ibrahim quotes Muhammad Awwal, chairman of Shoemaking Multipurpose Cooperative Society in the area, as  saying.

Simon-Peter Ogbede, director of Storms Climax Cobblers, Lagos, says he sources his materials from abroad. “Most of our materials come from abroad, mostly from Italy and Spain. We prefer these foreign materials because they are of better quality than the local ones. Some also come from China, but they are usually of lesser quality,” he says.

Ogbede, who is also the chairman of Young Cobblers Association in the Ojo area of Lagos, has been in the business of shoemaking for 18 years. However, according to him, he seems to have been born with the skill. He says he began practicing with his father’s old boots in the military barracks in his junior secondary school days. He would cut the boots into tiny pieces and then try to produce slippers or sandals with the pieces using condemned soles.

But there are still smaller practitioners in the industry who cannot as yet afford the foreign materials. One of such is Ahmed Oniyide, 24, who runs a small cobbling outfit in the Ojo area of Lagos. Someday, Oniyide hopes to grow big and register his proposed business name, Ahmzy Pumping Shoe Cobbler Built Boutique, with the Corporate Affairs Commission. But until then, he would have to continue buying his raw materials from Sadiku, Mushin. “That is where we buy our materials from. The dealers at Mushin in turn get their supplies from Aba. Besides Mushin, there are other smaller markets in Lagos where these materials are sold, but Mushin is the central market,” he tells me.

While many Nigerians still think that foreign-branded shoes are of better quality than Nigerian-made shoes, Ogbede says such people are deluding themselves. “Many of the so-called foreign shoes in the Nigerian market today are actually made in Nigeria, but we label them made in Italy or Spain for easy marketing. You know, our people are obsessed with so-called foreign products,” he explains.

“Similarly, most of the shoes that come from Dubai are made in Nigeria and sent to Dubai where they are somehow retouched and shipped back to this place. I have had to supply shoes, Pam slippers and sandals to friends who came from Dubai, UK and the US.”

The locally produced shoes, Ogbede says, have an advantage over the foreign ones, which makes it possible for the local shoes to outperform those from other countries. “We use the same quality of materials that they use in Italy and Spain. In fact, there is even no way of distinguishing between our products and the ones that come from abroad in terms of design and quality, but the advantage we have over them is that we understand the terrain better, so we adapt our products to local conditions. For instance, the soles they use in Italy cannot survive our rainy environment, but ours do,” he says, adding that he gives at least one-year guarantee on his shoes.

As the quality of these locally-made shoes improves, the patronage too is increasing. Even though a good number of Nigerians still complain that locally-made shoes are not there yet in terms of finishing, quality of materials, durability and glamour, many are beginning to think otherwise and are increasing their patronage for local shoes.

“A lot of Nigerians are beginning to realise that these Nigeria-made shoes also have very good quality and they are patronising us. I, for instance, supply to some boutiques and shops around, but they are the ones who make the gain. Because they know these shoes are made here, they price them very low, then go to their shops and sell at the same rate with the imported ones.” He, however, admits that the industry is not there yet. “At the individual level, many of us are still struggling. The government should in fact give out grants in form of machinery which we need for the work. So far, there has not been any form of government encouragement.”

But in spite of the bottlenecks, the future looks bright for the footwear industry in Nigeria, and Ogbede is confident that the country will soon take over the African shoe market. “Most African countries are using made-in-Nigeria shoes at the moment. I see Nigeria actually taking over the industry from Italy. The only problem currently is that the quality of some of our products is still very poor because of cost. Government needs to really help us. They need to come up with policies to protect the local shoe industry as well as organise exhibitions or establish shoe markets where we can showcase our fantastic products. Left to us, we might not be able to do these things on our own.”

Ogbede is not alone in this optimism. Tai Dehtiar, award-winning Canadian entrepreneur and a recipient of the Ontario Global Trade Award, who is famous globally for his footwear, Oliberte©, told young Nigerian entrepreneurs during his visit to Nigeria in 2011 to explore the idea of manufacturing local shoes for the Nigerian market, saying the market for shoes is so large considering the nation’s growing population. Dehtiar spoke at a forum organised by the Canadian High Commission in collaboration with the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG).

Oniyide, too, is certain that Nigerian shoes can dominate the African shoe market if given the right push. “Why not?” he asks. “We have the quality, we have the designs, and our products are accepted both here and abroad.”

But while Ogbede is asking for government to organise exhibitions, some Nigerian footwear makers are already utilising online platforms to showcase their products. The site http://www.vconnect.com/nigeria, for instance, provides the following list of footwear manufacturers in Nigeria: Bimbo African Enterprises, Palmgrove, Lagos; Last Born Footwear Designer, Ogun State; Ata Gungun Productions, Ketu, Lagos; Oluwadamilare Shoe Works, Egbeda, Oyo State; O James Footwear, Ajegunle, Lagos; Itosco Shoe Works, Calabar, Cross Rivers State; Tomrhy Footwears, Ajao Estate, Lagos; Ben Michael Shoes, Bariga, Lagos; and Bis Place Shoes, Surulere, Lagos.

How much these local products are sold for, practitioners say, varies from shoemaker to shoemaker and depends on a number of factors – the shoemaker’s expertise, the value he places on his services, his location, the financial status of his clientele, and his strategy. “For me, it depends on quality. Here, you can get a pair of quality shoes between N4,000 and N6,000 or more; sandals sell for N2,000 and above, while slippers sell for N1,500 and above – everything depends on quality of material used,” says Ogbede.

But overall, as Bamidele Omeiza, creative director, Bambata Footwear & Accessories, tells Olaoluwa Mimiola in a report, “Footwear making industry is, and will always remain, a good business with enviable financial rewards.”

Many industry practitioners are agreed that footwear-making business requires a lot of creativity, artistry and energy. Yet, whether artistic or not, the skills can be acquired by anyone who puts keen interest. But how long the training takes also depends on how creative the individual is. Oniyide, for instance, does not see himself as born with the creative talent needed for this kind of trade, but he has learnt over time. However, he says he did four years of apprenticeship and another six months of serving his trainer before he could stand on his own.

For Ogbede, who has trained many in the trade, it could take an average of six months to learn how to make slippers and sandals, but for shoes and boots, belts and bags, it could take at least three years. “However,” he adds, “for a very creative individual who also learns very fast, the time can be much more reduced. I, for instance, learnt the basics within one week because I had already been practicing with odds and ends.”

It’s relatively cheap to enter the business of footwear making, Oniyide tells me. With as little as N80,000 to N100,000, one can set up a small shop. This is excluding the shop rent and cost of training, which varies depending on who is training you and the skills you want to acquire. The basic equipment needed by a beginner include sewing machine (industrial or manual), filing machine, adhesive gum, scissors, shoe-lass, hammer, pliers, etc, in addition to materials like leather, soles, lining, hollow punch, etc.

Indeed, locally-made shoes are here to stay. And they are ubiquitous – in high-class boutiques, in supermarkets, in the open market. So, when next you buy a pair of Storms Collections shoes branded ‘Made in Italy’, don’t be deceived, you are actually buying made in Nigeria.