By Nefishetu Yakubu

The Senate on Tuesday urged the federal government to ban importation of textile materials and revive Nigeria’s textile industry to create jobs for the growing unemployed population.

The resolution followed a motion sponsored by Sen. Sunday Katung (Kaduna South) on the urgent need to revive Nigeria’s textile industry and restore its contribution to economic growth.

The motion was co-sponsored by Sen. Suleiman Abdurrahman (Kano South), Sen. Simon Lalong (Plateau South), Sen. Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto South), Sen. Hussaini Uba (Jigawa Northwest) and Sen. Mohammed Muntari (Katsina South).

Katung, while moving the motion, said that the first large-scale textile manufacturing mill in Nigeria was established in 1957 in Kaduna and later replicated across the regions.

He recalled that Nigeria’s textile industry flourished in the 1960s and 1970s due to strong government intervention, including restrictions on textile imports that attracted investors.

According to him, by the late 1970s and 1980s, Nigeria had about 167 textile mills employing more than 500,000 workers directly.

He said the sector became the country’s second-largest employer of labour after the federal government, contributing significantly to industrialisation, commerce and economic development.

Katung noted that Kaduna earned the title of “Textile City” because it hosted major integrated mills and the headquarters of the Nigerian Textile Manufacturers Association.

“Kaduna once had about 11 textile companies operating optimally, including Arewa Textiles Plc, Finetex Nigeria Ltd., Nortex Nigeria Ltd. and United Nigerian Textiles Ltd.

“By 1997, Kaduna Textile Limited, Arewa Textiles and United Nigerian Textiles Limited were barely functioning due to obsolete equipment and inadequate capital,” he said.

Katung lamented that by 2007, the three major mills had shutdown completely, leaving more than 7,000 workers unemployed and facilities abandoned.

The lawmaker said there were currently no significant new investments in the sector, while Nigeria depended on imports for more than 99 percent of textile needs.

He noted that Nigeria’s textile industry was once the third largest in Africa, generating about 2 billion dollars annually from diverse products.

According to him, the industry produced more than 1.4 billion pieces of textiles annually, including African prints, bed sheets, towels, and furnishing fabrics.

Katung,also identified the influx of foreign textile products into the country as one of the most serious threats confronting local manufacturers.

He further observed that since the lifting of the textile import ban in 2010, about 80 percent of textiles consumed in Nigeria were imported.

Sen. Mohammed Monguno, however, said Nigeria’s textile industry, once vibrant and economically significant, was now struggling due to imported products and rising production costs.

Monguno proposed a ban on textile imports and the establishment of a special intervention fund by the Central Bank to revive the sector, which was adopted by the lawmakers.

Contributing, Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, called for greater attention to cotton cultivation, describing it as the primary raw material required for the revival of Nigeria’s textile industry.

She cited the contributions of cotton to economies such as the United States and Ethiopia, urging strategic collaboration among ministries to restore Nigeria’s competitiveness.

Sen. Adams Oshiomhole blamed the collapse of Nigeria’s textile industry on poorly conceived trade policies and urged the Senate to ensure the motion does not suffer the fate of previous resolutions.

The Senate, thereafter, adopted additional prayers urging the federal government to provide special intervention funds through the Bank of Industry to support textile revival.

The Senate consequently urged the federal government, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment to revive textile industries nationwide.

According to the lawmakers, reviving textile factories in Nigeria would create jobs, reduce youth restiveness and address growing insecurity challenges(NAN)

(www.nannews.ng)

NY//MAM/FEO

Edited by Modupe Adeloye/Francis Onyeukwu