Nigerian governors, especially those of the states where cotton is grown, have been urged to establish Garment industries in their respective states.
The president of the National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN), Comrade Peters Godonu, made the call at the 36th annual national education conference organised by his union in conjunction with the Nigerian Textile Garment and Tailoring Employers’ Association (NTGTEA), held at the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS), Ilorin, Kwara State.
Godonu, who said that the NUTGTWN is committed to industrial development in the country, commended the Kwara State governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, for establishing a multi-million naira Kwara Garment Factory in Ilorin.
He called on other governors, particularly in cotton-producing states, to emulate the Kwara State governor by promoting value-added manufacturing “even on the public-private partnership basis as a strategy for job creation and wealth generation.”
He hailed AbdulRazaq for his commitment to sustainable industrial development. He said that participants at the conference would have a guided tour of the Kwara Garment Factory before the end of the meeting.
The director general of the MINILS, Comrade Issa Aremu, described the conference theme as apt, saying that nothing can be done alone.
Aremu, who represented the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, said that the revival of the textile industry is vital, saying that importation of fairly used wear, insecurity, electricity power problem, etc. are among the challenges bedevilling the industrial sector, especially, textile industry.
He charged the government with protecting existing textile factories and restoring old factories to operation to ensure job creation and poverty eradication.
“The conference should aim to develop strategies for fostering effective partnerships amongst government, industry, and labour and identify the various roles of each stakeholder in sustainable industrial development.
“It compliments President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda concerning poverty eradication, economic growth, sustainable industrialisation, job creation, access to capital and improvement of living standard”, he said.
