No Nigeria’s cabinet had been much awaited like the one inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari last Wednesday. Understandably too “six months after the February 23, 2019 presidential election and 84 days after … inauguration on May 29 and about a month after their names were sent to the Senate for screening and confirmation”. Non-disclosures of the ministries of designates cast the cabinet inauguration in the mold of awaited Presidential elections results with conjectures and scores of fake list of ministries to match!
Undoubtedly most cabinet members seemed conscious that considerable time had been lost in a four year tenure. Judging from the “Executive Council to – office- movement” by most Ministers, I bear witness that one take away from the Ministerial Retreat was time consciousness and time management. Indeed Sabo Nanono (Kano State) – Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development told the staff and management of the ministry that it was “Time to sit up”! I agree with President Buhari that the sensitization for the Ministers was called a Retreat, it was actually “an advance to the Next Level”.
Of course the point cannot be overstated that it’s remains a “ great privilege … to be called upon to serve in these Great Offices of State”. All ministries matter but two are of special importance. Both Ministries of Industry, Trade and Investment, Labour and Employment, must prepare to put (in President’s words) “.. long hours and… be prepared to live laborious days” if among others, the vision of the “ Administration’s eight years to …have laid the grounds for lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years” is to be realized. Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo (Ekiti) – Minister of industry, trade and investment, Ambassador Mariam Kategu (Bauchi) – Minister of state for industry, trade and investment and Dr Chris Ngige (Anambra ) – Minister of labour and productivity . Tayo Alasoadura (Ondo State) -Minister of State, Labour certainly must roll up their sleeves. Industry and Investment remains the key driver of sustainable jobs and development for most national economies of developing nations like ours. Indeed for Nigeria and Africa to meet the Sustainable Development Goal 2030, especially SDG 9 dealing with industry and innovation, Nigeria must innovate and industrialize.
Nigeria must copy China’s industrialization drive which has within 20 years moved over 250 million people out of poverty through manufacturing and industrialization. My bias for Textile industry cannot be overemphasized. Nigerian Cotton, Textile and Garment (CTG) sector alone has the capacity to transform Nigeria’s rural economy and revive the textile and garment industries by creating over 2 million jobs, improve internal revenue across three tiers of government, reduce $4.0billion import bill incurred annually on textile and apparel, safeguard and earn foreign exchange. Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo must quickly get the copy of the Cotton, Textile and Garment (CTG) policy if he must make an impact in helping President Buhari to create mass sustainable decent jobs for the millions of unemployed youths.
Following series of engagement, CBN under Godwin Emefiele had initiated a number of development financing measures to revive the textile sub sector. In the works is the signing of an unprecedented MOU between the Service Chiefs, Chief Executives of Uniformed Services, and textile/ garment manufacturers on enforcement of Executive Order 003 on Support of Local Content in Procurement By MDAs. With this MOU, uniforms for navy, police, army, NYSC, theatre wears in hospitals and medical facilities are to be sourced locally from the Nigerian CTG sector in pursuance of the current administration’s drive towards economic diversification and creating jobs for our teeming population. No administration has shown such bold commitment to local patronage.
This CBN’s efforts must be complemented with bold activist fiscal measures from the Ministry of Trade and Investment as it was in the 70s and 80s when , Nigeria was the home to Africa’s largest textile industry. Nigeria once had over 180 textile mills in operations. The industry employed some direct 650,000 workforce and indirect millions of cotton farmers, traders and garment workers and tailors through out the country. The sector indeed employed more workforce than the Federal government. The industry also contributed over 25% of the workforce in the manufacturing sector and as much to national GDP. Less than 25 textile factories are operating today at below 20 percent of their production capacities. The workforce in Nigeria’s textile industry stands at less than 40,000 people. But even at that the sector still employed more than the direct jobs in oil and gas capital.
Commendably President Buhari the narrative of textile from that of closure of factories to a bold revival efforts that will (to use his words!) revive the ‘good old days’ of cotton, textile and garment sectors. Indeed there are more quotable quotes from him on the state of textile industry than any previous President. The two Ministers of Trade and Investment must walk the President’s “promise to Nigerians that jobs will be created as part of efforts to revive the economy and that promise will be fulfilled. We will move as fast as we can to resuscitate the textile and mining industries, and also improve production in our agricultural sector…..we cannot allow industries and factories to close down”. He has put in place a comprehensive Cotton, Textile and Garment (CTG) policy which aims at reviving the entire value chains of cotton growing, Ginneries, spinning and weaving, printing and garments production.
The administration also initiated the Executive Order 003 on Support of Local Content in Procurement. Some of us had called for the establishment of Ministry of Textiles as it is in India, Pakistan, Turkey and China. Until then, Ministers Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo and Ambassador Mariam Kategu (Bauchi) – of industry, trade and investment must establish a whole Directorate to drive the new Cotton, Textile and Garment (CTG) policy.
Issa Aremu mni
