Ex-minister calls for power sector reform to boost economy

A former Minister of Environment, Lawrencia Mallam, has urged the Federal Government to urgently reform the nation’s power sector and revive the textile industry as part of broader efforts to stimulate economic growth and industrial development. The former minister stated that inadequate electricity supply remains one of the major challenges confronting manufacturers and investors across […]

A former Minister of Environment, Lawrencia Mallam, has urged the Federal Government to urgently reform the nation’s power sector and revive the textile industry as part of broader efforts to stimulate economic growth and industrial development.

The former minister stated that inadequate electricity supply remains one of the major challenges confronting manufacturers and investors across the country, forcing many industries to rely heavily on expensive alternative energy sources.

According to him, the poor state of power infrastructure has contributed significantly to the decline of Nigeria’s manufacturing sector, particularly the once-thriving textile industry, which previously provided employment for thousands of Nigerians.

He noted that reviving textile production would not only create jobs but also strengthen the country’s local value chain, support cotton farmers, and reduce dependence on imported fabrics and clothing materials.

The ex-minister called on the Federal Government to introduce policies that would encourage investment in local manufacturing, improve access to financing for industrial operators, and rehabilitate critical infrastructure needed for industrial growth.

Mallam made the call in Lagos during the presentation of a memoir book titled “Do the needful” chronicling the life and contributions of a late textile union pioneer, Lawrence Ariyo, an event that drew stakeholders from academia, labour, and industry.

 

 

 

Speaking on the sidelines of the programme, the former minister lamented that the once-thriving textile hubs, particularly in Kaduna State, have become moribund, leaving thousands of workers without jobs.

 

 

 

“The textile industry in Nigeria is dead. In Kaduna alone, we had over five major textile companies that were very active. Today, they are no more. Cotton production, which used to sustain these industries, has also collapsed,” she said.

 

 

 

She attributed the decline largely to poor infrastructure, especially the persistent challenge of electricity, stressing that no meaningful industrial revival can occur without stable power supply.

 

 

 

“You cannot revive the textile industry without electricity. Let the government fix power, and investors will come. Not just textile, many industries will spring up again,” she added.

 

 

 

Mallam further noted that Nigeria, once a leading textile producer in Africa, now depends heavily on imports, particularly from China, for clothing and fabrics.

 

 

 

“It is China that produces what we wear today. That should not be so. Nigeria used to be among the top textile producers in Africa, but today, the industry is nowhere to be found,” she said.

 

 

 

She expressed optimism that renewed attention to the sector could significantly reduce unemployment and curb insecurity across the country.

 

 

 

“If industries are revived and jobs are created, the insecurity we are facing today will naturally reduce,” she added.

 

 

 

Also speaking at the event, the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Lagos State University, Professor Olufemi Lawal, described the book as an eye-opener on the history and decline of Nigeria’s textile sector.

 

 

 

According to him, the publication provides detailed insights into the industry’s past contributions to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product and the factors responsible for its decline.

 

 

 

“There was a time textile production and cotton export contributed significantly to Nigeria’s economy. The book highlights what went wrong and suggests practical steps for revival,” he said.

 

 

 

Author of the book, Olusegun Ariyo, who is son of the late textile Pioneer leader, said the memoir was written to honour his late father, a pioneer in the textile union movement, and to reignite national discourse on the sector’s importance.

 

 

 

He urged the government to “do the needful” by implementing policies that would revive textile manufacturing and create employment opportunities for both skilled and unskilled workers.

 

 

 

The event attended by family members, academics and industry stakeholders, calls for the resuscitation of Nigeria’s once-vibrant textile industry as a pathway to economic recovery.