Ahaji Dikko Abdullahi, the Comptroller General of Customs in Nigeria, emphasised on the need to revive the Nigerian textile sector especially in the area of job creation
Abdullahi said that the country’s textile sector should be given a fillip, following the drop in oil revenue, in a bid to gainfully engage Nigerian youth to develop their skills. The customs head urged locals to iron out plans to revive the textile industry in order to secure the future of the country.
Earlier, the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) sector chairman Salisu Umar had told the Customs head that textile industries were necessary indices for assessing development of countries.
“The political stability of a country is determined by its economy; we will support sectors that invest capital to expand and improve employment of youths,” said Abdullahi.
He also called on other government agencies, including the Consumer Protection Agency, Standards Organisation of Nigeria and the Nigeria Immigration Service to join forces with the Nigeria Customs Service in the execution of its statutory functions.
The Nigeria Customs Service has also been diligently fighting off piracy and illegal activities taking place in the textile sector. Recently, 75 illegal warehouses storing contraband textile materials were discovered by the NCS and seized. The influx of counterfeit goods threatens to harm the potential of the Nigerian textile industry, according to the National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN) general secretary Issa Aremu. The Comptroller General of Customs has assured the NCS that such cases will be mitigated by the authorities in the future.
