• ‘Our factories have turned to churches, mosques’
From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
The National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN) has said the textile industry can create millions of jobs if the sector is revived in the country.
Addressing newsmen as part of activities lined up to celebrate this year’s Workers’ Day, National President of NUTGTWN, Peters Godonu, lamented the moribund state of textile factories in the country.
He stated that he was unhappy that some individuals in the society have turned many of the textile factories that were closed down over the years, to worship centres.
Godonu expressed optimism that if President Bola Tinubu lived up to his promise to industrialise the nation, the textile factories would bounce back to boost the nation’s socio-economic development.
“But most of our factories are closed, some have turned to churches and mosques, but we believe that if the president carries out his plans of industrialisation, which is dearer to us, and works on it, we believe that the sector will change for the better.
“Looking at our sector, we have suffered enough but we are happy because the cardinal point the president has presented is industrialisation.
“If you look at Nigeria in far back as 1970, you will know how many the sector employed; the direct jobs, the supporting staff and the rest. So, we are talking of millions jobs to be created if they look into textile and that is what our hope is about.”