Nigerian Government Urged to Promote Made-In-Nigeria Fabrics
The Federal Government has been urged to enforce the policy of cloth making solely with Nigerian fabrics and disallow importation to revive the cotton industry.
Specifically, a former Governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole, made the appeal during his speech as the guest speaker of the maiden edition of the Paul Sunday Achimugu CTG Annual Lecture Series in Abuja, organised by the Paul and Mary Achimugu Foundation with the title; “Repositioning the Cotton, Textile and Garment (CTG) Sector as the Engine for Growth of the Economy.” Oshiomhole recalled that the CTG Value Chain was a vital and vibrant part of the Nigerian economy in the 80s and early 90s, saying it was a major employer of labour, source of foreign exchange earnings for the country at the time.
According to him, due to a number of factors, the whole sector is currently in a state of comatose, requiring urgent attention.
To revive the sector, Oshiomhole noted that any government that seeks to come into office, must make plans to enforce policy like, “wearing of made-in-Nigeria fabrics”, “you want to sell fabrics to Nigerians, locate it here in Nigeria.”
His words: “To revitalise and reposition the Nigerian CTG sector, the following important decisions and actions must be taken and followed through by the government and CTG stakeholders. Government must provide a special tariff for power; that is, gas and other energy sources for the CTG sector. Re-tooling for obsolete machinery, more aggressive and tighter control at the Nigerian borders to reduce the smuggling and influx of second-hand clothing. Engagement with China at governmental level, special treatment for the CTG sector in terms of tax, finance and so on. “Establish clusters like industrial parks with shared facilities, convene another high level stakeholders’ CTG summit, among others,” he suggested.
Also, the former Governor said any emerging government must have a policy in the agricultural sector that guarantees foreigners to invest in textiles, eliminate free market trading and change the fundamental level of relating with others globally.
He said, “There is a need for robust engagement and campaign for all presidential candidates to support and bring back the textile industry in the manufacturing sector, called the Labor Intensive Sector. It is true that technology may continue to change, human beings will continue to wear clothing, we cannot be more civilized and return to the garden of Eden. The more sophisticated we are, the more need for a quality textile industry. Therefore, we must focus on the manufacturing sector, in particular the labor intensive sector.”
Oshiomhole noted that the development of the textile industry will provide jobs for about 10 million Nigerians, ranging from farmers, essential service providers to industrial workers.
Agro Nigeria
