Betta Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, has declared that the Federal Government is planing a three-pronged intervention for the production of Adire fabrics in the country as part of Government’s effort to cut capital flight on imported Adire fabrics from China.
Adire is a tie-and-die textile made from indigo dye, plain clothes, among other materials, by the women of the Southwestern Nigeria, mainly in Abeokuta and Osogbo, capitals of Ogun and Osun States, respectively, believed to have been handed over to them by their fore bares.
According to the Minister, the three-pronged intervention on Adire fabrics, will be based on the creation of Adire manufacturing clusters in the States where Adire is produced, starting from Ogun State, the introduction of subsidies on its raw materials and production cost as well as the capitalization in form of loans to the manufacturers and sellers.
The Federal Government’s efforts on Adire fabrics production and its move to cut the capital flight on Chinese Adire being imported into the country, came as a result of calls by the manufacturers, the people of Abeokuta and the former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, asking the Federal Government to ban importation of Chinese Adire and boost local production.
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Speaking at the weekend during a working visit to Governor Dapo Abiodun and Ogun State, Betta Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, noted that there should a strategic means of banning Chinese Adire fabrics from entering Nigeria with the provision of manufacturing clusters, loans and subsidies in order to make the production and marketing cost-effective and competitive with imported Adire.
She said, “First, you must be able to push local production to meet the demand. Local production must be enhanced at all cost, to meet the demand. When local products are enhanced, subsidized and supported by Government, it will automatically eliminate whatever fluntuation coming into the market.
“We don’t want to be selling fake Adire; made in China Adire and brought it into Nigeria. What we want is a local one made by our people to create jobs; it will build micro and macro economy and it will help Nigeria to be more of the manufacturing country rather than being an importing country.
“These are the things that are affecting an exchange rate and other indices in Nigeria. Government is to provide that subsidy for the people, so we take the subsidy of the fuel, we will provide it for the Adire makers so that they can provide local Adire that will be used and exported out of the country.
“I was so happy yesterday (on Friday) when the Governor (Dapo Abiodun) and his team, the Commissioners, said they are going to create hubs in Abuja where the original Adire will be sold. This is taking Abeokuta and Ogun State to the World, and this hubs can be created even at Embassies in other countries around the World where we can export Adire and be sold.
“This is original one not the fake which is imitated and brought in for us if we support the local manufacturers, subsidize this for them, bring more people in to this to meet the demand, it will automatically eliminate the ones that are coming into country.
“Basically, we want to see those areas we can support persons who are poor and be alleviated out of poverty and to get for them a means of livelihood and skills that will help them strive and sustain families, and of course, come out of poverty. We have identified about five things with the governor, which can do almost immediately that will really touch lives in Ogun State and with this, we will be able to cover about 100,000 persons in Ogun State.
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“Part of what we identified was the Adire creation which is really very typical to Ogun people, it is kind of their identity and what they are known to do very well. Adire has both the local production and modern production.
“We have been in the market to pick up some of the fabrics, interact with the market people and Iyalojas (market women) all are here with us. We try to find out what does it really take to get one of these products, how much do they cost in terms of product, and the final production, how much they do cost in the market.”
