Thousands of former textile workers in Kaduna State have appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, state governors and other stakeholders to intervene in the payment of about N35 billion allegedly owed as gratuities and compensation by four collapsed textile companies.
The ex-workers, under the Coalition of Closed Unpaid Textile Workers of Nigeria, Kaduna State chapter, said they have endured decades of hardship following the collapse of Kaduna Textiles Limited, Arewa Textiles Plc, Nortex and FinTex Limited.

In a statement jointly signed by the coalition’s President/Chairman, Comrade Jeibe Wordam, and Samuel Ibrahim, the workers said the companies shut down between 2002 and 2004 without paying workers their terminal benefits.
They said the closures left more than 9,000 workers jobless, while over 2,800 workers and their family members have reportedly died while awaiting payment of their entitlements.

According to the coalition, Kaduna Textiles Limited shut down in 2002, Arewa Textiles Plc in December 2004, while Nortex and FinTex closed in 2003.
The workers lamented that despite repeated appeals and engagements over the years, no concrete steps have been taken to settle the outstanding payments.

They also said many former workers have fallen into poverty, with widows and dependents of deceased workers struggling to survive and unable to afford healthcare and education.
The coalition further decried the rising cost of living, noting that many of the affected workers, now above 60 years old, can no longer secure employment or start businesses due to lack of capital.

They recalled that they had previously petitioned the House of Representatives during the Buhari administration and were invited to Abuja for a hearing, but the matter was not resolved before the end of the Ninth National Assembly.
The group is now urging President Tinubu, the 10th National Assembly, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Northern Governors’ Forum, civil society organisations, traditional rulers and international partners to intervene and facilitate the payment of the alleged N35 billion owed to them.