NATIONAL President of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (TGTSSAN), Comrade Yakubu Jerekeri has called on the Federal Government to ensure that workers in the industry are involved in the judicious disbursement of funds for the revival of the textile industry in Nigeria, such that the right beneficiaries would judiciously use the loan to turn around the industry.

He revealed to Labour Today that the association is worried about how the loans would bedisbursed without taking a holistic view of the entire industry and the possibilities of loan beneficiaries beign rightly selected at this time when the entire industry has been run down by lack of infrastructure, raw materials, low availability of running cost and lack of petroleum products.

He said for the industry to substancially pick up, “it is imperative that TGTSSAN be fully involved in the disbursement so that the dream of the Federal Government’s vision 20:2020 is realised in the economy, both in the short and long run.

He said TGTSSAN was only aware, through the press, of the first release of funds for the revival of textile industry in Nigeria, saying it is however not clear yet, the companies that had benefited from the disbursements.

According to him “Although our association is pleased about this development and congratulates the present government for moving the textile revival matters from mere pronouncements to action level, with the seeming progress, our association, as a stakeholder is constrained to make some observations. These observations should not be misconstrued as complaints about certain aspects of this development.

“First, when we tried to know those organisations that got the loans, we were made to know that they enjoy immunity from public listing and that the factory workers are not entitled to be informed.”

He added further: “We felt in these kind of closed arrangement, the nation and the workers stand this risk of losing out. In the event of such organisations not making it, they can escape or be stranded with the nation not benefiting from the use of the funds, which took many years to mobilize.”

“Generally, we are more worried how this money would be disbursed without taking a holistic view of the entire industry and the possibilities of loan beneficiaries producing on getting these funds. This is because this fund is coming at a time when the entire industry has considerably run down in infrastructure, raw materials, low availability of running cost and others like petroleum products.

“And we felt if these areas are not addressed, managements may have money but no materials to buy for production as spinners, today, have no cotton to buy in Nigeria because our farmers prefer to export to earn grants, thereby, making our local spinners rely on import, which in itself is a reflection of our bad policy management.

“Also, there is no black oil, no gas and when available, the prices have gone beyond our reach.

“It is unfortunate that availability of petroleum products cannot be predicted and when available the prices are fluctuating. But before now, local products were facing price uncompetitiveness in the market and what do our leaders think will happen with these emerging problems,” he queried.