Some leaders of organised labour, on Wednesday, called on the Federal
Government to declare a national emergency in the power sector to
enhance production of goods and services in the country.
The labour leaders made the call at the 40th anniversary and the 30th
Education Conference of the National Union of Textile, Garment and
Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN) in Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the conference has as its
theme as: “NUTGTWN at 40: Repositioning Labour and Industry for the Next
40 Years.”
The General Secretary of NUTGTWN, Mr Issa Aremu, urged the federal
government to come up with workable policies to ensure adequate supply
of electricity in the country.
According to him, poor electricity supply has contributed to the
destruction of industries in Nigeria, which in turns, encourages
smuggling.
”In 1983, Nigeria became the largest employer in West Africa with
over 200 textile companies. But today, many factories have closed with
less than 40 in operation.
”Before now, the industry employed more than 500,000 direct workers, but today it has less than 60,000 workers.
“Necessary infrastructure must, therefore, work at its optimum to revive the textile industry,” he said.
The labour leader said that after the establishment of the country’s
first textile company, Kaduna Textile Mill in 1957, other state
governments started creating their own companies to boost development.
He called on the government to reduce the price of gas to lessen the
cost generating electricity they use and encourage closed ones to reopen
to enable them to compete with foreign companies.
Also, Mr Segun Oshinowo, Director General, Nigeria Employers’
Consultative Association (NECA), said that it was only good governance
that could address poverty in Nigeria, and not collective bargaining.
Oshinowo said that employers alone would not tackle economic
challenges without good governance that would help rebuild industries
and reduce poverty level.