The House of Representatives has urged the federal government to consider banning the importation of second-hand clothes as part of measures to revive Nigeria’s textile industry and address youth unemployment.
The lower legislative chamber passed the resolution during
Tuesday’s plenary following the adoption of a motion of urgent public
importance sponsored by Billy Osawaru, the member representing
Orhionmwon/Uhunmwode federal constituency in Edo.
Osawaru said reviving the textile industry, particularly in
Kaduna and other parts of the country, could create employment opportunities
for young Nigerians and help address insecurity and youth restiveness.
The lawmaker said the country had more than 160 textile
mills between the 1970s and 1990s, with Kaduna as the major hub.
Osawaru said unemployment and the lack of economic
opportunities had contributed to banditry, kidnapping, cultism, killings and
youth restiveness.
“Some other countries like Vietnam, Bangladesh and Ethiopia
reduced youth restiveness by 40-60 percent through targeted revamping of some
critical sectors which created between 2-5 million jobs each within 5 years,”
the lawmaker said.
Citing a report by SBM Intelligence, the lawmaker said more
than 10,000 people were killed and 7,500 kidnapped in over 1,700 security
incidents as of 2024.
The lawmaker also identified agriculture, manufacturing,
textiles and solid minerals as sectors with significant potential to create
jobs for young people but which have remained largely underperforming.
Osawaru said post-harvest losses exceeded 40 percent due to
inadequate storage and processing facilities, and that insecurity had also
reduced access to farmlands.
He urged the government to establish modern storage
facilities and agro-processing clusters across the six geopolitical zones
within 12 to 24 months.
The lawmaker called for the establishment of a manufacturing
revival fund, in collaboration with the Bank of Industry (BOI) and the Central
Bank of Nigeria (CBN), to provide low-interest financing to small and
medium-sized enterprises, with a focus on local sourcing and youth employment
targets.
The motion was unanimously adopted after Benjamin Kalu, the
deputy speaker who presided over plenary, put it to a voice vote.
Consequently, the house asked the federal government to
“urgently revive the textile industries” in Kaduna and other states to “create
many job opportunities for the unemployed to address the youth restiveness”.
The house also asked the federal government to consider
“banning the importation of used clothing and enforce patronising of
made-in-Nigeria clothes, uniforms for schools, security agencies, and the
NYSC”.
In 2025, Kenya surpassed Nigeria as Africa’s largest
importer of second-hand clothes.
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com