With the close down of so many textile industries in Kaduna State, the state is yet to regain her lost glory in terms of commercial status. Several administrations have come and gone but the pieces of the moribund industry are yet to be picked and salvaged. With the wind of change blowing across the nation and Kaduna in particular, all eyes are on Malam Nasir el-Rufai , the emergent APC governor, to come to the rescue and change the tide. Time Nigeria’s North West Regional Editor, Moses George, reflects on the issue.
Kaduna, Northern Nigeria’s political capital, was once renowned for manufacturing of products like textiles, machinery, steel, aluminium, petroleum, etc. The city which was founded by the British in 1913 soon became a political, commercial, and industrial hub. By 1917, Kaduna was already the capital of what was then known as the Northern Nigerian Protectorate, a status it maintained until 1967.
The Industrialization of Kaduna which started in the late 1950s propelled the city into a centre for textiles manufacturing and merchandize. By the mid-sixties, Kaduna had arguably transformed into a city with one of the largest textile industries in Nigeria, providing job opportunities to more people than any other industry in the town. There is no doubt that the emergence of textiles manufacturing and other industries fast-tracked the city’s economy as more people migrated into Kaduna in search of employment. By the 1980s, Kaduna had 10 textile mills. Sadly in the 1990s, the city’s vibrant and growing textile mills were inexplicably reduced to two.
Kaduna was however, not the only city in Nigeria that had textiles factories. Lagos also had its own share of textiles industries, but they were mostly small and un-integrated single-process plants when compared to those in Kaduna, except for bigger mills like Nichemtex (UNTL) in Ikorodu and the Nigeria Textile Mills (NTM) Ikeja- Lagos, which was established in 1962. These mills engaged in all the production processes, and provided employment for a large number of workers.
At a point, Nigeria’s textile industry ranked number three in Africa, next only to Egypt and South Africa. There were 33 textiles mills in the country. They included Kaduna Textile Ltd (KTL), Arewa Textiles Plc, United Nigerian Textile Plc, Supertex, Nortex Nigerian Ltd and Finetex Nigerian Ltd. Others were Gaskiya Textiles Mill, Kano Textile Ltd, Aba Textiles, Zamfara Textiles Ltd, Asaba Textiles Ltd, African Textile Mill Plc and Tofa Textiles.
The entire sub-sector which employed over 300, 000 people directly made use of between 60 to 70 percent of all its raw materials from local sources. Foreign investment in the textile industry was mostly led by Chinese and Indian investors.
The oldest mills in the country were Kaduna Textile Limited (KTL) established in 1957 and Nigeria Textile Mills (NTM) Ikeja Lagos, which was established in 1962. The foundation laying ceremony of KTL was performed by the late Premier of Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello on March 7, 1956. The mill itself was officially opened for operations on November 22, 1957.
KTL continued its operations, churning out beautiful fabrics and providing employment to several thousands of Nigerians until 1st May, 2002, when it was shut down after its New Nigerian Development Company (NNDC) Board of Directors terminated the appointment of Churchgate Groups, the Indian conglomerate that had managed the company for about a decade.
The textile which was jointly owned by the 19 northern states governments reportedly shut down its business operations following unfavourable operating environment caused by high cost of production and smuggling of foreign textile materials into the country. The closure of the company came to its workers as a rude shock because it was their only source of livelihood.
The United Nigeria Textiles (UNTL) Ltd, reputedly the biggest textile company in Nigeria was incorporated in 1964. The company also had other flourishing factories in Lagos and Aba. The Kaduna factory of UNTL was engaged in the manufacturing of African prints, Java prints, real wax prints, polyester/cotton printed and dyed cloths among others. Sadly in 2007, this large mill grounded to an abrupt halt, throwing out thousands of its employees into the labour market.
One of the reasons reportedly responsible for its closure was the Federal Government’s lukewarm attitude to containing smuggling of textile products into the country through Kano and Katsina States. Before its closure, the company had over 7,000 workers on its payroll. When it reopened again in 2010, UNTL’s production fell far less below its original capacity.
It is sad that most of these industries, which had provided employment for large numbers of Nigerians, have suffered severe setbacks that have led to untimely closures. Like a bad dream, one after the other, these giant factories were shut down as everyone watched helplessly. With these harvest of closures, Kaduna lost its glory as a centre of textile manufacturing in Nigeria. The impact of this calamity is being felt several years after its occurrence. At their peak, the 10 textiles located in Kaduna had transformed the city into a thriving centre of commerce.
Most of the affected textile factories in Kaduna are now a shadow of themselves. When Time Nigeria visited Arewa Textiles Plc and Kaduna Textile Limited, the sight was pathetic. The factories had been over taken by weeds, with their roofs blown off, exposing the multibillion naira machines to vandals, rain and corrosion. It was the same situation at Nortex, SuperTex, Unitex, Fintex, Unitex and Worldwide Garments. Sighting these ‘sleeping giants’ that had once made Kaduna proud was indeed pathetic!
What could be responsible for this calamity? Time Nigeria gathered that the sub–sector was confronted with a number of challenges which culminated into very high production costs. This and other factors brought the textile companies to their knees.
Time Nigeria in an encounter with Alhaji Shaibu Ugede, a former Marketing Manager in one of the textile mills, said: “One of the reasons responsible for the collapse of the textiles industries in Kaduna and in other parts of the country is the importation of clothes into Nigeria from China and other countries.
“The low costs of these imported cloths drove the textile factories out of business. Another major reason was corruption and mismanagement. Believe me, from whatever angle you evaluate this unfortunate situation, you’ll still arrive at the points that I have raised.”
In his own reaction, a top management staff in one of the surviving textile mills in Kaduna, who pleaded anonymity, said “Several factors are responsible for this national embarrassment.
“I believe that the major reason for the collapse is because government has failed in its responsibility to create a favourable environment for us to operate. How can we survive when our borders are porous, and all kinds of cheap textiles materials coming into our market?
“ How can we survive when government does not live up to its responsibilities of ensuring that it solves the energy crisis that has bedevilled Nigeria, and made it difficult for industries to operate profitably?
“ We have governments that are manned by individuals that are obviously not committed to industrial development. Our great leader, Sir Ahmadu Bello, was such a visionary person that several decades ago, he facilitated and set the foundation for the industrialization of Kaduna with the establishment of Kaduna Textiles Limited.
“ Unfortunately, successive leaders failed to build on that foundation. I hope that the Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasiru El-Rufai, will live up to his promise of helping to revive these industries. We are all eagerly looking up to him to salvage these factories from decay. The benefits that will accrue from reviving them would be enormous. ”
The National President of the National Union of Textile, Garments and Tailoring Workers (NUTGTWN), Comrade Oladele Hunsu, advocated ban on the importation of textile materials or imposition of higher tariffs on imports, improvement infrastructure and engagement of Asian governments on best trade practices.
He added that it was necessary for the government to chart a new course for the revival of the industry. “This will bring back jobs and boost economic activities,” he concluded.
It would be recalled that the textiles industry got a N100 billion naira federal government intervention fund to boost its operations. This fund did not make much impact in reviving the ailing sector. The Coalition of Closed Unpaid Textile Workers in Kaduna said that about 2, 800 workers of Kaduna Textile Ltd (KTL), Arewa Textiles Plc, United Nigerian Textile Plc, Supertex, Nortex Nigerian Ltd and Finetex Nigerian Ltd have so far died while waiting for the payment of their entitlements in the last 14 years.
The group called on the appropriate authorities to expedite action towards reviving these companies. The group expressed its confidence that el-Rufai would effectively champion the cause of the moribund industries.
There is no doubt that the surviving workers of these textiles factories in Kaduna have gone through severe hardship. These workers and most Nigerians are still optimistic that the textile mill would be revived for production of fabrics again. So much hope is drawn from the assurance that el-Rufai, had given that his administration will ensure that all the collapsed textile factories in the state are revived.
el-Rufai had said: “We will work with the textile union to ensure that the lives of the average Nigerian gets better. We have met at a forum of northern governors-elect and we have decided to ensure the revival of the textiles industry. It is a shame that the largest economy in Africa imports textiles from Senegal and other countries.”
As part of efforts to turn around the sector, the governor said he would ensure the full implementation of the ban on smuggled textile materials into the country as well as give the textile factories the needed lifeline.
The people of Kaduna State, long suffering textile workers and several Nigerians seem to have confidence in the ability of el-Rufai to turn things around in the state. One of such people is Governor Adams Oshiomhole who had expressed confidence in el-Rufai at a political gathering.
“I am here to affirm that Malam Nasir El-Rufai will rebuild Kaduna state, he will revive the lost glory of the state and fix things right. He is a practical and hard working man….He has done it in the past and will do it again; he has the capacity and basic requisite knowledge needed to rebuild Kaduna state,’’ he had said.
Indeed, our leaders have a moral responsibility to live up their promises. With the pledge that he has made, all eyes are on the former FCT Minister to restore Kaduna back to its enviable and glorious status of “the Textiles City.”
