The Senate has called on the Federal Government to impose a ban on the importation of foreign textile materials as part of efforts to revive Nigeria’s struggling textile industry, boost local manufacturing, and stimulate cotton production.
The upper chamber also urged the Federal Government, through the Ministries of Agriculture and Trade and Investment, to take urgent measures to resuscitate textile manufacturing across the country, particularly along the Kaduna-Kano industrial corridor, citing the sector’s potential to generate employment, reduce youth unemployment, and address growing 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 Senator Sunday Katung (APC, Kaduna South) and co-sponsored by lawmakers from across party and regional lines.
Leading the debate, Senator Katung recalled that Nigeria’s first large-scale textile mill was established in Kaduna in 1957, laying the foundation for a thriving textile industry that later spread across the country and became a major contributor to industrialisation and job creation.
He noted that government policies in the 1960s and 1970s, particularly restrictions on textile imports, encouraged investment in local production and helped the industry expand significantly.
According to the lawmaker, the sector reached its peak in the late 1970s and 1980s, when about 167 textile mills operated nationwide and employed more than 500,000 workers directly, making it the country’s second-largest employer after the Federal Government.
However, Katung lamented the industry’s decline over the years, attributing it to ageing equipment, inadequate access to capital, inconsistent power supply, and policy inconsistencies that have undermined competitiveness and productivity.
He expressed concern that more than six decades after its golden era, Nigeria’s textile industry has suffered a dramatic downturn, leaving many once-bustling factories abandoned and reducing the sector to a shadow of its former self.
Lawmakers who supported the motion stressed the need for deliberate and sustained government intervention to restore the industry’s viability, strengthen local production, reduce dependence on imported textiles, and create sustainable employment opportunities for millions of Nigerians.
As part of its resolutions, the Senate called for increased funding for the Bank of Industry (BoI) to support the revival and expansion of textile companies. It also urged the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to intensify efforts to promote cotton farming, describing it as a critical component of the textile value chain.
Following deliberations, the Senate adopted the motion and called on the Federal Government to implement comprehensive policies aimed at revitalising the entire textile value chain—from cotton cultivation and processing to manufacturing and distribution—as part of broader efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s industrial base, diversify the economy, and drive sustainable economic growth.
