Iyabode Okeremi sat on a wooden bench with her face buried in her hands on another lull market day. Her stall and others on a row of adire trading stories in Abeokuta have faced challenges from different angles in recent times. 

Many Nigerians’ purchasing power has collided with the rising influence of deep-pocketed Chinese counterfeiters. Yet, the allure for export of the adire, unique to the Yorubas in South-West Nigeria, appears to remain.

Booming, booming, bust?

The adire textile business in southwest Nigeria has had more downs than ups since 1956 when the iconic traditional fabric was gifted to a visiting Queen Elizabeth II. The largest market for the material in Abeokuta has also seen better days, as when a touring women’s union checked in on a sunny April afternoon in 1989 and bought all goods on display. 

Today, however, the challenges facing adire fabrics are coming from unique directions, local dealers and statistics said.

Nigeria was once home to the biggest textile industry in Africa, but it has become a shadow of itself. Only 34 textile companies are operating in Nigeria, compared to nearly 200 in the early 1980s, as epileptic power supply forced many industries into fatal convulsions and bad government policies exposed others to irreparable damage.

Over the years, the value chain has been extended to create jobs for youth. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) 2021 report showed that 42,5 per cent of youth are unemployed. Despite the myriads of available hands, few are skilful for the local adire market.

Many youths seek arts and crafts as alternatives to formal jobs to make a better life for their families.

As of 2019, the Nigerian Textile Manufacturers Association (NTMA) said the country spent $4 billion importing textiles annually. Despite the Central Bank of Nigeria’s forex restrictions on textile products, importation has skyrocketed.

The value of textiles imports in the first three months of 2021 was N171.8 billion, having grown by 257.9 percent from 2020 to 2021. Imports stood at N48 billion in the same period of 2020, said NBS.

Frustrated but not despaired

Indigenous Egba people have a good reputation in adire production. They have been practising the craft as a culture and a major source of livelihood since the late 19th century, about four decades after the British first introduced industrial cotton weaving to the region. 

The style became prominent starting in early 20th century, with unskilled people trooping into the highly indelible dyed-clothing business. The business was largely restricted to communities on the fringes of Ogun-Osun River Basin for several decades. But as technology and global commerce continue to bouy intercontinental trade, the game has also changed for adire. 

Chinese nationals are now mass producing adire using polyester materials, flooding the market with cheap and substandard adire fabrics, with some selling the product below 50 cent a yard.

Silifa Eleyele, leader of the dyers association in Itoku (Olori Alaro), worries about how she will pass the business to her children when she dies due to the influx of inferior adire attire and high cost of materials in the market.

“We are frustrated and dealing with hunger. About seven years ago, the Chinese asked for permission from the association that they would like to print adire on fabrics. But we rejected the offer because adire belongs to the Egba people,” Eleyele said. 

“Chinese told us (artisans) that machines will hasten the process of the adire cloth making. So, they requested that we make new designs, then they will replicate the pattern to make mass production,” she added. “We did not agree to the contract. Moreover, if our ancestors had sold the ownership of adire to foreigners, we would not be benefiting from the business. This is an ancestral business, and many families have survived from the trade that will never go into extinction.” 

In Abeokuta, Motunrayo Makinde said the handcrafted (cotton material) adire ranges from N4,000 to N15,000, while the Chinese (polyester) imitation sells at lower prices, with some selling below 50 cent a yard on Alibaba.

“Only a few customers can tell the difference between handmade adire and printed, but those that still recognise locally made Adire are still patronising us (artisans),” said Mrs Makinde, who has spent 30 years as an adire trader. “We make use of quality clothing materials and chemicals to produce our Adire. We can not sell at low prices to people because materials are expensive.”

Oluwatosin Adeleye, leader of the association of adire traders in Asero (Otun Baba Oloja), told Peoples Gazette that traditional adire makers have been contending with the Chinese “for the past three years.”

“We thought they would be in the market for a short period. But we later discovered they had overtaken the business,” Mr Adeleye said.

He admitted that part of the local adire merchants’ undoing was that some locals became Chinese disciples in marketing inferior, mass-produced adire cloths.

“When the Chinese imported adire into the market, they advertised the brand to traders, and some members of the association took over from the Chinese and started selling the inferior fabrics to compete with the locally made adire,” Mr Adeleye explained.

Local adire makers and traders in Nigeria are facing one of the most challenging economic situations: rising inflation, forex restriction, depreciating naira, and soaring fabric prices combine to render the local adire industry almost comatose.

“We need textile companies that are functioning in Nigeria. It will help us if most of the materials we use for production are being produced locally,” Mr Adeleye stated. “Whenever we import fabrics for adire making, it is usually seized at the port. Even at the land borders, they will consider it as contraband.”

He added, “We can then appoint someone to travel to China and make findings about the factory where Adire is produced. We do not know the source of importation of the Adire, but we have warned our members not to sell the imported adire in the market.”

Mr Adeleye emphasised the need for customs officials to clamp down on the illegal operators and confiscate the contraband.

“But we still need the effort of the Nigeria Customs Service and government to protect the indigenous Adire made in Nigeria because if the Chinese are not paying taxes, the contraband will not be sold in Nigeria,” he said.

Tariffs covered 

Checks by The Gazette on the Nigeria Customs Service website show that textiles (ankara and adire) are not listed as import contrabands.

Customs spokesman Timi Bomodi told The Gazette that import levies are charged for importing adire.

“Printed adire are not banned from importation. They can come into the country and pay a levy. Fabrics can come into the country,” Mr Bomodi said. “They are not banned. The fact that we have local fabrics does not matter.”

China blames unscrupulous African traders

In September, Wu Peng, director-general of the Department of African Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, blamed African traders for smuggling substandard products into the continent for profits.

“I think this is a commercial issue. We noticed many African businessmen go into China for procurement and do lots of shopping for stuff and then bring them back to Africa,” Mr Wu said. 

He explained that “such people even do such through the use of e-commerce to buy some stuff back to Africa.” 

Mr Wu, however, noted, “Whether these kinds of stuff are made in China, the quality is good or not, it must reach the national standard.”

Preserving tradition

For the state government under Governor Dapo Abiodun, threats posed by Chiinese competition in adire business have not gone unnoticed. The administration said it realised that the business was in the throes of moribund and decided to take actions, including some transparently symbolic measures. 

“Governor Dapo Abiodun ordered all cabinet members and other state appointees to wear adire once in a week,” said information commissioner Waheed Odusile. “That has greatly affected the adire makers positively” 

Mr Odusile told The Gazette that the decision has helped strengthen the business’s multi-layered chain of supply. 

“Now our regular patronage is helping now just the adire makers but the tailors and those supplying the fabrics,” he said. 

The official said the government had learnt of Chinese growing influence and moved swiftly to preserve one of the state’s enduring features. 

“When we discovered that the Chinese were stealing this away from us, we knew we had to take action not to allow the culture to be taken away from us,” he added. 

Substantively, Mr Odusile said the Abiodun administration also launched a portal for adire to ensure a wider exposure of the products and encourage people from across the world to place orders. 

“The effort is transforming this sub-textile economy,” he said, adding that “every visitor to the governor will now go home with a bundle of adire.”

But to beat back Chinese’s control of the market, federal authorities have to intervene, the state said, but worried influencing such policy might be too difficult given Nigeria and China’s bilateral trade arrangement. 

Adire importation is not a contraband in Nigeria, but the Chinese could also circumvent any threats by simply exporting to other countries where people are increasing being introduced the the fabrics.

But Mr Abiodun recognises the trade as a critical part of the small and medium-scale commerce, which his administration has been striving to bolster. 

“Even without the threat from the Chinese, we see the role of government to enhance commerce within the state and adire makers are part of the small and medium-scale ventures,” he said. “We want to believe that the FG will do what is necessary to protect the industry.” 

The administration also said plans are underway to introduce a new policy that would see primary and high school students wear uniform made of adire at least once in a week — likely to be every Friday.

Michelle Obama, Jay-Z dig adire, too

Adire fabrics, popularly known as (tie and dye) is one of the beautifully crafted fabrics in Nigeria, uniquely connected to the Egba people in Ogun. It is usually worn on special occasions like weddings, festivals, chieftaincy and other ceremonies by the Yoruba people of Nigeria. 

Omotoyosi Rabiu, a trainee in adire cloth-making, expressed her love for its unique patterns.

“I love art and craft, mainly Nigerian arts. Adire is uniquely designed to suit an individual’s style. It is called tie and dye (aso ti adi ti a re),” said Ms Rabiu.

Historically, the chemical dye used to produce adire was introduced by Jojolola Soetan, Iyalode of Egbaland II (Abeokuta). She began making adire in her compound, becoming an international merchant in the early 1900s.

Although the craft has gained fame globally, the indigenous makers of the fabrics are based in their ancestral homes in the Asero, Ogbe, Iberekodo and Itoku areas of Abeokuta. There are varieties of handmade adire fabrics made out of cotton, and each kind has its unique pattern, prints and style, such as adire eleko, adire oniko, adire alabere (batik), adire indigo and adire onibatani.

In modern times, Nigerian designers such as Maki Oh and Demure by Denike have styled adire on international runways and fashion shows—a notable fashion trend that emerged from Africa. Top U.S. celebrities Shawn Carter (Jay Z) and Lupita-Nyong’o, including former American first lady Michelle Obama, have embraced adire.

Original adire lives on

“I work from 7:00 a.m. till 9:00 p.m. I am a polytechnic graduate. But I will rather learn a craft than seek jobs,” said Ms Rabiu. She felt there were no more or enough white-collar jobs for graduates.

Zainab Olarenwaju, who has spent seven years as an adire maker, said, “I depend on the business as a means of livelihood. It is a family business, so I must continue the trade. It is better than a low-paying job. In Abeokuta, employers cannot pay an SSCE graduate N50,000 monthly.”

Another adire maker in Abeokuta, Hassan Agbajelola, told The Gazette that making and selling adire “is a hereditary business.” 

“I will leave it behind for my children. I depend on this handcraft as a means of livelihood. Many artisans will like to train their children to sustain the craft for the next generation,” said Mr Agbajelola despite the economic crunch.

Mrs Okeremi, 58, mentioned at the outset, is one of the local adire makers and sellers born and raised in the Itoku area of Abeokuta. She has mastered the art, craft and trade of adire attire under the tutelage of her mother. 

The lull in the market that day did not dull her sharp response.

Mrs Okeremi looked at the potential customer and nodded in the affirmative. She hurriedly went into her cottage to grab some adire fabrics from the heap of cloths arranged in the corner of her room. 

“Aunty, do you like this design?”

The customer ran her fingers through its texture, feeling the aesthetics of the crafted adire made out of cotton. 

“I want to style the fabric for my engagement ceremony next month,” she said. “How much is it?”

It was N15,000, a price the customer agreed to pay.

Despite Chinese counterfeit adire, customers are still willing to buy the pricey original from the locals, Mrs Okeremi said.