Governor Godwin Emefiele of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), on Thursday urged the Nigerian military, police and other uniformed organizations to patronize the local textile industry, which the apex bank is keen in resuscitating.
Emefiele met with Service Chiefs, and Chief Executive Officers of uniformed organizations, in Abuja, on how to drive President Buhari’s Executive Order 003 to yield meaningful results to the economy.
Signed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in 2017, Executive Order 003 requires federal government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to show patriotism by prioritising locally made goods inorder to boost the weak economy and create jobs.
Emeifiele raised the concerns that the MDAs has largely ignored the presidential order at the detriment of local textile manufacturers.
He said interactions with Stakeholders have shown that MDAs have not made any significant order for uniforms or clothing materials from our Nigerian textile manufacturers and garment companies and that the Governments’ efforts at resuscitating the textile industry will not be actualized if they are not supported through local patronage among other incentives.
“We have also observed that our textile factories are carrying huge quantities of unsold stock while our garment factories are idle due to lack of local patronage. We are optimistic that with your support, this trend can be reversed.”
He Service Chiefs, Chief Executives of Uniformed Services have what it takes to change the narrative and rewrite the history of Nigeria’s struggling Cotton, Textile and Garments (CTG) Sector.
“Crucial to this resolve is the call for patriotism and the need to support local manufacturers of textile through patronage by MDAs as entrenched in Executive Order 003.
“Mr President has directed full compliance with this Order as it will help in addressing the pressure on our foreign reserves through demands for forex for the importation of textile and clothing materials.”
Going forward, Emefiele, said that all those concerned with procurement must comply with the Order, as the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), has been asked to ensure strict compliance.
“We have the mandate of Mr. President to ensure that all uniformed services and theatre wears in hospitals and medical facilities be sourced locally from the Nigerian CTG sector. Already the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) has been notified to enforce compliance among MDAs.
“Our model in achieving this presidential directive is to facilitate long term contracts (5 years or more) with our textile and garment factories to produce uniforms for our armed forces and uniform services using local fabrics and textile materials,” he said.
Speaking to the issue of quality, Emefiele assured that his team would work with the military and other affected organizations to ensure the quality of products met the required standards.
His words, “We are not naive of the fact that the nature of your jobs will warrant special quality and security around the production of your wares. My team will work with your nominees toward ensuring requisite quality and security associated with your uniforms.
“Your nominees will also join our team to inspect the various textiles and garment factories to ensure their readiness to be engaged on long term contracts to forestall breaches. We shall work out payment terms that fit budget releases for uniforms for various organizations,” he added.
Speaking on behalf of the service chiefs, Joel Unigbe, a Major General who represented the Chief of Army Staff, assured that the Nigerian military would work with the CBN and other stakeholders to ensure the provisions of Executive Order 003 are realized.
Onyinye Nwachukwu, Abuja
