The federal government has pledged its commitment to revive the textile industry and its value chains including promoting made-in-Nigeria goods.

Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Senator John Enoh, made the pledge on Wednesday in Lagos during a visit to Sunflag Nigeria Ltd. on a three-day industrial tour.

Mr Enoh noted that key agendas of President Bola Tinubu’s administration included economic growth through manufacturing and job creation.

The minister said that several years ago, the textile industry competed almost fairly with the government in terms of employing Nigerians.

He commended the textile company for weathering the storms the country had faced through the years and assured that the current government was committed to the development of the sector.

He said, “When you say that about two million jobs can be created, that is a bit conservative, and when you talk about 300 containers coming into this country and not officially accounted for, that is not right and would be addressed. The next-door country, Benin Republic, has a flourishing textile garment industry, and their target is the Nigerian market. I have the immediate mandate, in terms of the programme of the ministry, to promote made-in-Nigeria goods and services, and my visit here is to assure you that this is a government that is going to, and is able to, change this situation of things.’’

Managing Director, Sunflag Nigeria Ltd., Alok Bhardwaj, said the company made use of everything Nigerian, from its people to cotton, wool, threads and yarns, in its production processes.

He noted that the industry, between 1985 and 1990, had 250,000 employees, with more than 250 companies producing textiles in Nigeria, and today, it had dropped to close to 10,000 employees.

He said, “You would be surprised to know that we import $6 billion every year of textiles into Nigeria, and Nigerian consumers, by doing that, employ 750,000 Chinese and Indian workers in their countries to clothe themselves.’’

Mr Bhardwaj noted that threats facing the textile industry include the smuggling of secondhand clothing into the country, which he said affected the tailoring end, among others, of the textile value chain.

According to him, close to one million five hundred thousand Nigerian tailors were affected because of the amount of second-hand clothing coming into the country unabated.

He called for a level playing field that will put Nigeria’s goods first to uphold and protect the country’s manufacturing industry.

“The employment of our people has a multiplying effect in the economy, and to achieve the growth targets of the government, it is important that we employ our people to do our things for ourselves,” he said.

(NAN)