By Abbanobi-Eku Onyeka
The Senate has called for a total ban on the importation of textile products into Nigeria as part of efforts to revive the nation’s once-thriving textile industry and restore thousands of lost jobs.
The resolution followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Senator Sunday Katung during plenary on Tuesday.
The motion was co-sponsored by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, Senator Ibrahim Khalid, Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno, Senator Mustapha Khabeeb and several other lawmakers.
Leading the debate, Katung lamented the decline of an industry that was once among Nigeria’s largest employers of labour and a major contributor to economic growth.
He recalled that Nigeria’s first large-scale textile manufacturing mill was established in Kaduna in 1957, while supportive government policies in the 1960s and 1970s helped the sector expand rapidly.
According to him, the country had about 167 textile mills during the late 1970s and 1980s, employing nearly 500,000 workers across the value chain.
He noted that Kaduna earned the nickname “Textile City” because of the concentration of major textile manufacturing companies operating in the state at the time.
Katung attributed the industry’s collapse to years of neglect, smuggling, inadequate policy protection and the influx of imported textile products, which forced many local factories to shut down.
Contributing to the debate, Senator Jibrin Isah urged the National Assembly to ensure that the resolutions reached on the motion do not suffer the fate of previous motions that were never implemented.
“This motion is very important, but I don’t want it to die like other motions,” he said.
He called for active engagement with the Ministry of Industry and other relevant agencies to develop practical strategies for reviving the sector.
“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,” he added.
Senator Ogoshi Onawo argued that reviving the textile industry could significantly reduce unemployment and address some of the root causes of insecurity in the country.
“All that is happening in our country today is due to lack of jobs for our youths,” he said.
Onawo expressed optimism that a revitalised textile sector would create employment opportunities for young people, boost cotton farming and contribute to national stability.
Also speaking, Senator Adamu Aliero said a complete ban on textile imports remained the most effective way to protect local manufacturers and encourage domestic production.
According to him, Nigeria was once among the world’s leading producers of cotton before weak regulatory protection and widespread smuggling undermined the industry.
“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,” he said.
Following a voice vote, the Senate urged the Federal Government, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Trade and Investment to take immediate steps to revive textile industries across the country.
The upper chamber also called for a total prohibition on textile imports, increased funding for the Bank of Industry to support textile manufacturers and measures to encourage large-scale cotton production by farmers.
Lawmakers argued that strengthening the cotton-to-textile value chain would help boost local manufacturing, reduce dependence on imports and create jobs across the agricultural and industrial sectors.
In his remarks after the motion was adopted, Deputy Senate President Barau I. Jibrin described the issue as critical to Nigeria’s economic future.
“It is something that touches on the overall well-being of Nigeria and our economy,” he said.
The Senate’s resolution comes amid growing calls for policies aimed at revitalising local industries, reducing import dependence and promoting economic diversification through manufacturing and agriculture.
