…Task FG on smuggling
By Bimbola Oyesola
Workers in the textile sector of the economy have expressed concerns over the deplorable state of the textile sector in the country which they attributed to rising cases of smuggling and dwindling patronage.
The workers under the umbrella of the National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN) has therefore tasked the Federal Government on the need to ensure implementation and enforce compliance with Executive Order on the patronage of locally-produced products including textiles.
President of the union, Peter Godonu said there is need to compel government organisations wearing uniforms to patronise the local manufacturers, stating that this will lead to the growth of the sector .
He called for the implementation of Executive order 003 which he believes will facilitate the recovery of the Textile industry.
While commending the Federal Government and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for the direct intervention to address the cotton scarcity challenge, the textile union leader also urged CBN to make access to forex affordable for industry players as part of measures to ensure the holistic implementation of the CTG policy.
The NUTGTWN boss called for partnership with governments at all levels to revive the nation’s textile industries, maintaining that government needs to address the infrastructure before the sector can thrive.
“This is a sector that employ about 650,000 direct workers some years back. Today, we have less than 30,000 in the sector. Also, the sector can boast of 180 factories before, but now we have less than 25 factories,” he lamented stressing that “Government needs to pay more attention to the sector so as to bring back its glory”
Godonu said the union has been advocating for the sector, reminding the government on what the revival of textile sector is capable of doing to the economy.
Calling for public-private-partnership (PPP) collaboration as part of the strategy to revive the industry, the president insisted that the NUTGTWN was committed to industrial development in the country.