The 14th Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has blamed smuggling, poor infrastructure, and weak copyright enforcement for crippling Nigeria’s textile sector.
Speaking to journalists on Thursday in Kaduna after a facility tour of United Textile Company Limited (UNTL) alongside Minister of State for Trade and Investment, John Enoh, Sanusi said these issues have pushed several textile companies out of production.
“Basically, you have seen the factory and all the investments that are here. Imagine if you could get this alive, what it would do to the economy,” Sanusi said. “This is the kind of thing we have been advocating as economists, that the country needs to do.”
Sanusi, who is also the chairman of UNTL, listed affected companies including United Textile, SuperTex, Unitex, Zamfara Textiles, and Funtua Textile, all of which have ceased operations due to mounting challenges.
He said the board is open to engagement with the government and described the minister’s visit as “a very good first step.”
According to the former Central Bank governor, the textile industry remains key to tackling joblessness and boosting the economy.
“You want to grow the GDP. You can have many ways of GDP growth. But if you have a country of 200 million people, you need growth in labour-intensive industries,” he said. “Every country that has created jobs and development had to go through this phase of protecting and promoting its secondary sectors.”
Sanusi also praised UNTL’s foreign investors, especially the Cha family, for their continued support despite the setbacks.
“They have textiles in Ghana, Hong Kong, Europe, and the United States. It is not as if they want to leave Nigeria; they have been forced out of business,” he said. “They kept putting in a lot of money, but infrastructural problems, smuggling problems, and copyright problems are obstacles.”
He added that the Cha family remains committed to settling their obligations and are not looking to abandon their investment.
“We would like to produce. We would like to create jobs. We would like to see that we are adding value to the Nigerian economy if the government can help us,” Sanusi said.
After the UNTL tour, the minister also visited Chellco Industry Ltd, another textile company facing similar hurdles.
