NACCIMA kicks against revocation of textile ban

Emmanuel Cobham, the Director-General of NACCIMA, has condemned the recent revocation of the ban on importation of textiles products.

He said that the revocation of the ban would expose the Nigerian textile industry to serious danger.

Cobham said lifting the embargo on importation of textile products would be counterproductive to government’s efforts to revive the moribund textiles sector of the economy.

The Federal Government, through the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko, on June 22 announced the lifting of the ban on textile and furniture products.

Dikko said Nigerians could now import textile materials into the country if the right duties were paid.

“We are mortgaging our economy; the economy will not grow under such circumstances. We now depend on China and India for things that can be locally produced.

“We need to protect our industries because there are various stages of development – when we crawl, fall, stand, walk, and within this period, we scrutinise ourselves for changes.

“The stage where we run is when the international community accepts that our products meet international standards and embrace them.”

Cobham, however, said that the lifting of ban on importation of textile products could bring competition that would drive local textile manufacturers towards excellence.

“It is a challenge to local textile producers. No matter the odds against them, the more they produce and are in the market, the greater their chances of improvement.”

NAN