Textile workers in the country have called on President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government to declare total war against smugglers.
The workers also called on the President to also the revival of collapsed textile factories across the country.
General Secretary of the National Union of Textile, Garment & Tailoring Workers of Nigeria, Issa Aremu, made the appeal at a one day conference organised by the Association of Textile Technologists of Nigeria held at the Kaduna Polytechnic.
He specifically tasked the Comptroller General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali, to justify his appointment by declaring a total war against smuggling of contraband products.
Aremu argued that failure to revive the collapsed industries, especially the textile factories in the country, would impact negatively on the economy.
He added that the revival of the domestic textile industry would result in a significant fall in the number of unemployed in the country.
Mr Aremu said the collapse of textile factories across the country over the years had led to loss of jobs and revenue.
The textile workers also advised President Buhari to ensure the speedy completion of all existing road projects across the country before flagging off new ones.
Guest Speaker at the conference, Professor Kassali Bello, urged the Government to aid the revival of the textile industry by introducing new initiatives to improve the domestic content and manpower development to increase the appeal of finished goods and make them more acceptable in the highly competitive international market.
