The Senate has called on the Federal Government to impose a total ban on the importation of foreign textile materials as part of efforts to revive Nigeria’s struggling textile industry and boost local cotton production.
The upper legislative chamber also urged the Federal Government, through the Ministries of Agriculture and Trade and Investment, to urgently implement measures aimed at reviving textile manufacturing across the country, particularly within the Kaduna-Kano industrial corridor.
Lawmakers said revitalising the sector would create employment opportunities for millions of Nigerians, especially youths, while helping to tackle rising poverty and insecurity.
The resolutions followed the adoption of a motion titled “Urgent Need to Revive the Textile Industries in Nigeria with Particular Reference to the Kaduna-Kano Axis,” sponsored by Sunday Katung and co-sponsored by several senators across party lines.
While presenting the motion, Senator Katung recalled that Nigeria’s first large-scale textile manufacturing mill was established in Kaduna in 1957, laying the foundation for industrial expansion and economic growth across the country.
He noted that government policies introduced in the 1960s and 1970s, particularly restrictions on textile imports, encouraged investments in local manufacturing and contributed to the rapid growth of the sector.
According to the lawmaker, the textile industry reached its peak in the late 1970s and 1980s, with about 167 textile mills operating across the country and employing over 500,000 workers directly, making it the second-largest employer of labour after the Federal Government.
Katung, however, lamented the steady collapse of the sector over the years, attributing the decline to outdated equipment, inadequate financing, unstable power supply and inconsistent government policies.
He expressed concern that despite the industry’s once-prominent role in the economy, many textile factories have now been abandoned, leaving the sector among the weakest areas of Nigeria’s manufacturing industry.
Several lawmakers who contributed to the debate stressed the need for deliberate government intervention to restore the competitiveness of local textile production, reduce dependence on imported fabrics and promote sustainable economic growth.
The Senate also called for increased funding for the Bank of Industry to support struggling textile companies and facilitate the sector’s revival.
In addition, lawmakers urged the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to intensify efforts toward promoting cotton farming nationwide, describing cotton production as essential to sustaining the textile industry and strengthening the local value chain.
