Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Godwin Emefiele Thursday met with Service Chiefs and Heads of Paramilitary agencies to work out modalities of enforcing President Muhammadu Buhari’s order, stopping further importation of uniforms.
The stoppage was in conformity with Executive Order 003 mandating all Ministries Departments and Agencies to source their textile needs locally.
We have the mandate of Mr President to ensure that all uniformed services and theatre wears in hospitals and medical facilities be sourced locally from the Nigerian CTG sector”, Emefiele told his guests. Already, “the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) has been notified to enforce compliance among MDAs.
“Our model in achieving this presidential directive is to facilitate long term contracts (five years or more) with our textile and garment factories to produce uniforms for our armed forces and uniform services using local fabrics and textile materials.
“We are not naive of the fact that the nature of your jobs will warrant special quality and security around the production of your wares. My team will work with your nominees toward ensuring requisite quality and security associated with your uniforms.
“Your nominees will also join our team to inspect the various textiles and garment factories to ensure their readiness to be engaged on long term contracts to forestall breaches” he said.
CBN will work out payment terms that fit budget releases for uniforms for various organisations, he disclosed. Emefiele noted the President’s order was support for CBN’s policy of not funding importation of textile materials again.
He stated that priority placed on the Cotton, Textile and Garment (CTG) sector by the apex bank was hinged on the belief that “it has the capacity to transform Nigeria’s rural economy and revive the textile and garment industries by creating over two million jobs, improve internal revenue across three tiers of government, and reduce $4 billion import bill incurred annually on textile and apparel.”
CTG sector “has the potential to safeguard and earn foreign exchange and ultimately accelerate industrial development by making Nigeria a global player in the textile and apparel sectors.” Crucial to this resolve is the call for patriotism and the need to support local manufacturers of textile through patronage by MDAs as entrenched in Executive Order 003.
“Based on the CBN’s interactions with stakeholders, it was revealed that MDAs have not made any significant order for uniforms or clothing materials from Nigerian textile manufacturers and garment companies. He said the governments’ efforts at resuscitating the textile industry would not be actualized if they are not supported through local patronage among other incentives.
With regards to the primary source of CTG cotton, Emefiele said the CBN has “put in place necessary mechanisms to ensure the use of high yielding varieties that will produce top quality fabrics and those that can compete in the international market.
“We have also observed that our textile factories are carrying huge quantities of unsold stock while our garment factories are idle due to lack of local patronage. We are optimistic that with your support, this trend can be reversed.