The House of Representatives has urged the federal government to consider banning the importation of second-hand clothes as part of measures to revive Nigeria’s textile industry and address youth unemployment.
The lower legislative chamber passed the resolution during Tuesday’s plenary following the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Billy Osawaru, the member representing Orhionmwon/Uhunmwode federal constituency in Edo.
Osawaru said reviving the textile industry, particularly in Kaduna and other parts of the country, could create employment opportunities for young Nigerians and help address insecurity and youth restiveness.
The lawmaker said the country had more than 160 textile mills between the 1970s and 1990s, with Kaduna as the major hub.
Osawaru said unemployment and the lack of economic opportunities had contributed to banditry, kidnapping, cultism, killings and youth restiveness.
“Some other countries like Vietnam, Bangladesh and Ethiopia reduced youth restiveness by 40-60 percent through targeted revamping of some critical sectors which created between 2-5 million jobs each within 5 years,” the lawmaker said.
Citing a report by SBM Intelligence, the lawmaker said more than 10,000 people were killed and 7,500 kidnapped in over 1,700 security incidents as of 2024.
The lawmaker also identified agriculture, manufacturing, textiles and solid minerals as sectors with significant potential to create jobs for young people but which have remained largely underperforming.
Osawaru said post-harvest losses exceeded 40 percent due to inadequate storage and processing facilities, and that insecurity had also reduced access to farmlands.
He urged the government to establish modern storage facilities and agro-processing clusters across the six geopolitical zones within 12 to 24 months.
The lawmaker called for the establishment of a manufacturing revival fund, in collaboration with the Bank of Industry (BOI) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), to provide low-interest financing to small and medium-sized enterprises, with a focus on local sourcing and youth employment targets.
The motion was unanimously adopted after Benjamin Kalu, the deputy speaker who presided over plenary, put it to a voice vote.
Consequently, the house asked the federal government to “urgently revive the textile industries” in Kaduna and other states to “create many job opportunities for the unemployed to address the youth restiveness”.
The house also asked the federal government to consider “banning the importation of used clothing and enforce patronising of made-in-Nigeria clothes, uniforms for schools, security agencies, and the NYSC”.
In 2025, Kenya surpassed Nigeria as Africa’s largest importer of second-hand clothes.