The House of Representatives, yesterday, appealed to the Federal Government to ban and criminalise the importation of Adire, Kampala and other similar locally produced fabric into the country.
The resolution followed the adoption of a motion by Afolabi Afuape (APC-Ogun) at the plenary in Abuja.
The sponsor said the call became necessary to protect the general local cottage industry and conserve scarce foreign exchange.
He argued that the influx of foreign imitations of Adire/Kampala, tie and dye into Nigeria’s market had negatively impacted the local industry.
Afuape noted that the development has led to a decline in the livelihood of local producers and job losses.
Adopting the motion, the House mandated its Committee on Commerce to collaborate with the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) to establish formal training and orientation programmes for local fabric producers.
The training, according to the lower legislative chamber, should be centred on skills, quality control, marketing, and business management.
The lawmakers canvassed proper monitoring by relevant agencies charged with evaluating the periodic progress of the Nigerian cottage industry.
