Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari has given directive to all government institutions to patronise locally-produced garments for uniforms henceforth.
This became necessary following Nigeria signing the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) in Niamey, Niger Republic.
This, he said, will go a long way to create jobs in the textile industry. He made the disclosure during a meeting with the the National Executive Council of the National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers led by its President, John Adaji, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
“As a starting point, I recently directed all government uniformed institutions to patronise the use of locally produced garments. Already. the Bureau of Public Procurement has been notified to ensure strict compliance.
“One can just imagine the jobs we will create in the sector when the Nigerian Army. Navy, Air Force. Police, Customs. Immigration. Federal Road Safety Corps. NYSC and many more, fully patronise our local industries,” he said.
The president also urged state governments to buy into the policy for their schools, hospitals and other institutions.
“The coming of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement presents an opportunity for Nigeria if the right safeguards are put in place. As a government. we have developed a comprehensive strategy to fully optimise the benefits of this agreement and very soon, we will fully engage in negotiations to ensure these safeguards are reflected.
“Our priority remains to create jobs in Africa for Africans using a large proportion of African raw,” he said.
President Buhari said in the last four years, the Federal Government has deployed limited resources to job creating sectors like agriculture and mining. Lamenting the closure of textile factories especially in the North which gave rise to crimes, he said, “We promoted policies that will support local industries such as import restrictions.
“We introduced programmes that provided affordable and accessible capital to both large and cottage industries.”