Senate Seeks Total Ban on Textile Imports to Revive Local Industry

The senate has called for a total ban on the importation of textile products into Nigeria as part of efforts to revive the country’s struggling textile industry.

The resolution followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Sunday Katung, senator representing Kaduna south.

The motion was co-sponsored by Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan representing Kogi central; Adams Oshiomhole, senator representing Edo north; Ibrahim Khalid, senator representing Kaduna north; Mohammed Tahir Monguno, senator representing Borno north; and Mustapha Khabeeb, senator representing Jigawa south-west, among others.

Presenting the motion, Katung said Nigeria’s textile industry was once one of the largest employers of labour in the country.

He noted that the first large textile manufacturing mill in Nigeria was established in Kaduna in 1957 and that government policies in the 1960s and 1970s helped the industry flourish.

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

Katung said Kaduna earned the nickname “Textile City” because of the concentration of major textile companies operating in the state.

He, however, lamented the decline of the industry.

The lawmaker said major textile firms in Kaduna had become moribund by the late 1990s and eventually shut down by 2007, leaving thousands unemployed.

He added that Nigeria now relies on imports to meet more than 99 percent of its domestic textile demand.

SENATORS SEEK URGENT ACTION

Contributing to the debate, Jibrin Isah, senator representing Kogi east, urged the national assembly to engage relevant government agencies to ensure implementation of the resolutions.

“This motion is very important, but I don’t want it to die like other motions,” he said.

“I want us to engage the ministry of industry. We have to sit down with the ministry and tell them how this thing should go. This is what we call financial engineering; we have to structure it.”

Ogoshi Onawo, senator representing Nasarawa south, said reviving the textile sector could help tackle unemployment and insecurity.

“This motion wouldn’t have come at a better time than this. All that is happening in our country today is due to lack of jobs for our youths,” he said.

“I am sure we can come back on track, get our youths employed, get our farmers engaged, and this country will be better for it.”

Babangida Hussaini, senator representing Jigawa north-west, called for a comprehensive approach to addressing the challenges facing the industry.

“Beyond the prayers of the motion, it is very important for this chamber to understand the importance of this motion,” he said.

“We have to have a holistic and comprehensive approach to deal with this problem. At the level of processing, our machiner are obsolete and outdated.”

Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, senator representing Kogi central, stressed the importance of addressing raw material supply.

“We have to have very serious discussions on the raw materials that will revive our textile industry,” she said.

SENATE CHIEF WHIP CALLS FOR FUNDING, COTTON PRODUCTION

Monguno, senate chief whip, urged the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to establish a dedicated intervention fund for the sector.

“The CBN should create a special-purpose fund to revive the textile industry,” he said.

“If they can create a fund for Nollywood, they can create one for the textile industry in view of the background of its importance to the economy.”

Adamu Aliero, senator representing Kebbi central, said a total ban on textile imports was necessary to protect local manufacturers.

“Nigeria used to be the largest producer of cotton in the world,” he said.

“We were producing a lot of cotton, but because of a lack of protection and smuggling, textile mills started closing, and we saw a lot of textiles coming from Asia.

“If we really want to revive the sector, the only solution is a total ban.”

During the debate, Wasiu Eshilokun, senator representing Lagos central, argued that the motion should reflect the contribution of textile factories in Lagos and other states.

SENATE ADOPTS RESOLUTIONS

Following a voice vote, the senate urged the federal government, the ministry of agriculture and the ministry of trade and investment to ensure the revival of textile industries across the country.

The upper chamber also called for a total ban on textile imports.

Lawmakers urged the federal government to provide the Bank of Industry (BOI) with additional funding dedicated to reviving the textile sector.

The senate also called on the government to encourage cotton production among farmers to support local manufacturing.

Speaking after the motion was adopted, Barau Jibrin, deputy senate president, described the issue as critical to Nigeria’s economic development.

Jibrin said the motion is important, adding that it is “something that touches on the overall well-being of Nigeria and our economy. 99% of our textile materials are imported, and this is worrisome”.