The 16th Emir of Kano, Dr. Muhammadu Sanusi II, has appealed to the Federal Government to revive the United Nigeria Textiles (UNTL) in Kaduna as 10,000 jobs are already at stake.
He made the appeal on Tuesday when the Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Enoh, led a Strategic tour and stakeholder engagement on Tuesday to revive Nigeria’s textile, cotton, and garment sector in Kaduna, a statement by the ministry has said.
The tour forms part of the Federal Government’s commitment to industrial revitalisation under item 7 of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 8-Point Agenda, which prioritises job creation, inclusive economic growth, and industrial development.
Emir Sanusi said, “The factory’s cessation of operations in 2022 is worrying, despite its legacy of employing over 10,000 workers across the textile value chain, from spinning and weaving to printing and garment production.
“The socio-economic impact of UNTL’s collapse, particularly on youth and women, may result in rising insecurity in the region.
“Therefore we appeal to the Federal Government to urgently address the challenges of unreliable power supply, which severely hindered production, infiltration of smuggled and dumped textiles, undermining domestic competitiveness and Weak intellectual property protection, discouraging innovation and investment.”
In response, Senator Enoh acknowledged the concerns and reaffirmed that under President Tinubu’s leadership, several developmental strides have been made to reposition the sector.
“These include convening sub-sector stakeholder engagements to identify and resolve bottlenecks and also promoting public-private partnerships and collaboration with development partners to strengthen policy frameworks to support local manufacturing and boost export competitiveness,”
He underscored the symbolic and economic importance of UNTL’s revival, stating that its return to full operation would restore confidence in Nigeria’s textile heritage and catalyse broader industrial growth.
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