Workers in Nigeria’s textile industry have expressed concern over the growing influx of cheap imported fabrics and widespread smuggling, warning that the trend is putting thousands of jobs at risk and further weakening local production.

Industry stakeholders said the continuous entry of low-cost foreign textiles into the Nigerian market has made it increasingly difficult for local manufacturers to compete, forcing many factories to reduce operations or shut down entirely.

According to the workers, Nigeria’s once-thriving textile sector, which employed hundreds of thousands of people, has suffered years of decline due to high production costs, inadequate power supply, policy inconsistencies and unfair competition from imported products.

They argued that smuggling through the country’s borders continues to undermine efforts to revive local industries, as foreign fabrics often enter the market at prices local producers cannot match.

The workers called on the Federal Government to strengthen border controls, support local manufacturers, improve electricity supply and implement policies that would encourage domestic textile production.

They also stressed the need to revive cotton farming and expand access to financing for textile companies, noting that a stronger cotton-textile-garment value chain could create thousands of jobs and reduce dependence on imports.

The workers maintained that without urgent intervention, more jobs could be lost and the country’s textile industry may struggle to recover from decades of decline.