Nigerian Adire, going, going…

• As Chinese Adire Now Staple Of New Owambe Culture

Recently, Itoku adire market leadership and dealers in the fabric marched peacefully to the palace of Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, to register their displeasure at the manner inferior adire textile from China had taken over the Nigeria market. The protesters wanted the paramount ruler to save the age-long traditional textile from going into extinction.

In his response, Oba Gbadebo told them to go back home and do their research and come back with genuine facts about the location of the Chinese manufacturers who had taken over their trade. He stated that appropriate steps would be taken by government to save the situation.

The traders had called for an end to the importation of fake Chinese adire in the local markets, which is now the staple of many Nigerian owambe parties, especially in Lagos and its environ.

The traders, while embarking on an advocacy walk in Abeokuta, sensitising buyers and sellers on the danger of patronising fake Chinese textile, urged Governor Dapo Abiodun to ban the sales to preserve the state’s cultural heritage.

Industry observers have, however, blamed the failure of the country’s textile companies to remain competitive against imports from countries such as, China and India on insufficient power supply, government policy flip-flop, smuggling of imported textiles and insecurity.

Today, the industry lacks the infrastructure and technology to compete favourably with Chinese, Bangladesh and Cambodia textile and garment markets.

When The Guardian visited the one-time money spinning adire market and pride of the state’s textile industry in Itoku, Abeokuta, activities were low. The number of people who visited the market was not in any way significant to sustain an industry. It was glaring the market had begun to lose its importance as a thriving cottage industry.

Everybody who spoke to The Guardian said the invasion of Chinese textiles and high tariff on materials used for production have crippled the fortune of the local industry.

While speaking on the Chinese adire, the Iya Oloja of Kemta Adire International Market, Alhaja Somodale Akamo, said the flooding of Nigerian markets by inferior Chinese textile has affected the fortune of locally made adire.

While urging Federal Government to help the textile industry by providing enabling environment for business to thrive, Akamo noted that since the influx of Chinese adire in the Nigeria market, many local producers have closed shop.

Also speaking, Otun Iya Oloja of the market, Modinat Oyetola, stated that the dwindling exchange rate has equally affected production and sales, making it difficult for local manufacturers to break even.

Oyetola noted that government should help adire producer to regulate the market so that the influx of Chinese imitation could be a thing of the past.

Speaking on the development, Executive Secretary, Abeokuta Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, Alhaji Abdul Rahman Maku, disclosed that the locally made adire producers have lost millions of dollars since the invasion began and if nothing is done by government to save the situation, adire textile industry might go the way of the other ailing textile mills in the country.

He stated that if country had paid much attention to its local content, the influx of the inferior adire wouldn’t have been allowed by the government, knowing that it is capable of destroying the local market.

“What is happening to the locally made adire textile industry is unfortunate, and this is because of government’s inconsistent economic policies that give room to adulterated foreign fabrics to flood Nigerian market, which is part of what brought about the collapse of the country’s textile industry,” he said.

Maku noted: “The irony is that the local manufacturer and trader are complacent because they are the one that are patronising this inferior Chinese textile and sell it alongside the original locally made adire.”

Also speaking on this development, Professor of Economics at the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Sheriffdeen Adewale Tella, said the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) agreement with America actually encourages export of such textile, and thus, will prevent imposing quota or sanctions on same type of local product.

Tella pointed out that the important thing for local producers is to modernise and increase production to meet international standard and demand.

AGOA is essentially to provide duty-free treatment to goods of designated sub-Saharan African countries (SSAs). The programme dates back to 2000 and has the goal of promoting economic growth through good governance and free market.

The Guardian investigations revealed that Ogun government, over the years, has not really harnessed the industry’s potential to make it income generating.

The administration of former governor Olusegun Osoba had made effort to improve on the infrastructural development of the market by dedicating some expanse of land to the Kampala market in Asero area of the state capital. However, the administration of Otunba Gbenga Daniel did little to improve on what Osoba started, as the whole place soon turned to a shanty, with makeshift shops dotting the Asero landscape.

It was during the administration of Senator Ibikunle Amosun that the market was rebuilt to help adire traders have a sense of belonging and a befitting structure that would enhance their productivity.

However, at the 2022 International Arts & Crafts Expo in Abuja, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Ogun State, Olaotan Olusegun, said the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) was more than it received from the Federal Government.

“So, we are very much interested in having an economy different from that of the Federal Government. What did we do? Our governor gave us a mandate to make sure we market adire. We invested so much in adire, and today, adire is big business in Ogun State; not only in Ogun, but also on the international stage,” Olaotan said.

The permanent secretary disclosed that Ogun has a website where you could purchase adire without coming to Abeokuta. He gave the website address as www.adireogun.com.

“If you go there, you will find yourself in the adire market. I can tell you that between last year and now, the international transaction on that platform is over a thousand. So, we are building an economy out of adire in Ogun State,” he said.

To promote adire fabric and Abeokuta as the destination, wife of Ogun State Governor, Mrs. Bamidele Abiodun, launched Adire Market week in April 2022.

The week-long programme attracted wives of other governors from the Southwest, fashion entrepreneurs, top society women, politicians, business leaders and corporate organisations.

At the event, Governor Abiodun noted that he is working on how to promote the industry to create wealth for women of Abeokuta who have made adire their business.

“At the commencement of Adire Market Week, I expressed worry over the high volume of adulterated adire fabrics by foreigners, which has caused monumental loss to local producers. So, I urged the National Assembly and other government functionaries to adopt adire as an official attire for national events in the country, just as we’re doing in Ogun State,” Governor Abiodun said.

The governor, while hosting his counterpart from Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke, on the need for collaboration to revive culture and tourism in the two states, spoke on his administration’s effort at instituting the culture of wearing the fabric once a week, especially in the government circle as well as putting ‘Adire Ok’ on Twitter for online purchases, this, he said is an attempt to revive the adire business, which was gradually folding up.

“When I assumed office, this industry was dying just like what you have in Osun, because the Chinese were coming to Ogun State to copy the designs, take it to China, make the adire and ankara and sell cheaper than those produced by our people, regardless of how beautiful it is.

“No matter what it is, it remains our small business enterprise that employs a lot of our people and it has been so for many generations.”

Maku pointed out that part of the problems militating against the growth of the country’s textile industry is the lack of due diligence at point of entry by government agencies, which has made it possible for sub-standard goods to come into the country.

From being a major employer of labour in the 1970s and early 80s, the industry has gradually become a shadow of its former self. A once thriving industry has continued to go on declining mode and efforts to revive it by successive government has not yielded any fruit.

Also, the economic situation of the country has affected many businesses, making a lot of manufacturing companies to consider relocating to saner business environments.

In 2022, Nigeria imported textile products valued at N365billion, roughly 70 per cent of the N500 billion government intervention to keep the industry afloat over a 30-year period, according to public information from government institutions, including the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Already, textile manufacturers under the aegis of Nigerian Textile Manufacturers Association (NTMA) in Nigeria are seeking special grant from the Federal Government to revive the country’s extinct textile industries. To date, over 30 textile companies in Nigeria have gone extinct for years taking toll on the country’s economy.

Consequently, the country has lost billions of naira, and over 60, 000 workers have lost their jobs, especially those in ancillary industry, suppliers, distributors, transporters and others.

NTMA came together as a body as far back as May 1967. Most of the Textile Mills came into existence between 1960 and 1975. The ban on importation of textiles into Nigeria after the 1967 to 1970 civil war prompted more investors into the textile industry.

In 1978, the then Federal Government decided to ban yarn importation as from 1984. This again led to backward integration in the industry. Many mills became fully integrated companies while some came up as only spinning mills.

As at date, total investment in the industry is over 30 billion naira with a yearly turnover of more than 20 billion naira. The industry’s installed capacity is about 1.7 billion metres of fabrics per annum. However, the current capacity utilisation is between 25 to 30 per cent of the installed capacity.

The interest of previous governments in the textile industry dates back to the Olusegun Obasanjo administration (1999-2007), which launched a N70billion Textile Development Fund to revive the ailing industry.

This was followed by a N100 billion Cotton, Textile and Garment Fund during the tenure of the Musa Yar’Adua/Goodluck Jonathan government (2007-2015).

Similarly, the Muhammadu Buhari government launched at least three textile industry intervention funds, including a N225billion fund, N50 billion revival fund and another N19 billion cotton fund all of these were geared towards reviving the ailing industry.

Guardian.ng