Senate Moves to Revive Nigeria’s Textile Industry, Seeks Urgent Federal Intervention

By Our Correspondent

The Senate has called for urgent measures to revive Nigeria’s textile industry, particularly in Kaduna and Kano states, citing the sector’s historic contribution to employment generation and economic development.

The motion, sponsored by Senators Abdurrahman Kawu Suleiman (Kano South), Simon Bako Lalong (Plateau South), Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (Sokoto South), Babangida Uba Hussaini (Jigawa North-West), and Muntari Mohammed Dandutse (Katsina South), highlighted the rise and decline of the nation’s textile sector.
The Senate noted that Nigeria’s first large-scale textile manufacturing mill was established in Kaduna State in 1957. The development was subsequently replicated across the country, particularly in the Eastern and Western Regions, leading to significant growth in the industry.
Lawmakers also observed that the textile industry flourished in the 1960s and 1970s due to deliberate government interventions, including a ban on textile imports, which encouraged investment in the sector.
The Senate further noted that by the late 1970s and 1980s, Nigeria had about 167 textile mills employing approximately 500,000 people directly, making the industry the second-largest employer of labour after the Federal Government.
According to the lawmakers, Kaduna earned the nickname “Textile City” because it hosted major integrated textile mills and served as the headquarters of the Nigerian Textile Manufacturers Association (NTMA). At its peak, the state had about 11 textile companies operating at full capacity, including Arewa Textiles Plc, Fantext Nigeria Ltd, Nortex Nigeria Ltd, Super Text Ltd, and United Nigeria Textiles Ltd, creating thousands of jobs and business opportunities.
However, the Senate expressed regret that by 1997, key textile firms such as Kaduna Textile Limited (KTL), Arewa Textiles and United Nigeria Textiles Limited (UNTL) were barely functioning due to obsolete equipment, lack of capital for spare parts, and irregular electricity supply.
The lawmakers further lamented that by 2007, all three companies had shut down operations, resulting in the loss of more than 7,000 jobs, while the once-thriving industrial facilities became shadows of their former selves.
The Senate noted with concern that 65 years after the sector’s boom years, the textile industry has declined significantly and now represents one of the weakest segments of Nigeria’s industrial sector.
It also observed that there are currently no major new investments in the industry and that Nigeria has become a net importer of textile products, relying on imports to meet more than 99 per cent of domestic demand.
Lawmakers further expressed concern that the industry’s lost glory has not been restored despite its previous status as Africa’s third-largest textile sector in the 1980s. At the time, the industry reportedly generated about $2 billion annually and had the capacity to produce more than 14 billion pieces of textile products, including African prints, shirting materials, bed sheets, furnishing fabrics, towels, embroidery lace, table and bed linen, guinea brocades, wax prints, java prints, jutes and fishing nets.
The Senate also noted that despite efforts under the Industrial Revolution Plan aimed at revitalising the cotton, textile and garment (CTG) sector, one of the biggest challenges facing the industry remains the influx of foreign textile products into the country.
Lawmakers expressed further concern that following the lifting of the ban on textile imports in 2010, nearly 80 per cent of textiles consumed in Nigeria are now imported from countries such as China, Indonesia and Taiwan. They warned that the trend is detrimental to employment generation and foreign exchange conservation.
Consequently, the Senate resolved to call on the Federal Government, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Ministry of Trade and Investment to urgently ensure the revival of textile industries in Kaduna and Kano states, as well as across the country. The lawmakers said reviving the sector would create employment opportunities, reduce youth restiveness, and help address growing insecurity.