The
global apparel market was valued at USD 1.7 trillion in 2012 and employs
approximately 75 million people. What this means is that there is enough demand
for clothing and apparel in the world which Nigeria can tap into for the
employment of its millions of job-seekers and as well earn huge foreign
exchange to fund further development.
This is necessary especially now that the
price of oil which is our major source of foreign exchange is wobbling in the
international market. This is a fact which I expect that the Standards
Organization of Nigeria (SON) should bear in mind. The agency seeks to enthrone
Made-in- Nigeria-for-the-World (MINFOW) concept in the mindset of Nigerians and
this is very gladdening.
Nigeria
is embarking on massive diversification of her economy as a response to
dwindling oil revenue but for this objective to be achieved; her exports must
be accepted in the international market. What this means is that goods expected
from this country must comply with international standards. This is where SON
should be assisted on its current effort to rid country of substandard
products.
One
group SON should work with to achieve the goals of MINFOW is the apparel
industry in Aba (Aba Tailors), Abia State. Thousands of Nigerians in Aba
are making a meaningful living through clothing. Now, we hear that many tailors
of Aba extraction already based in Lagos and other Nigerian cities are now
exporting clothing to Ghana, America, Europe, India and China.
To
encourage the Aba tailor’s march to global renown and wealth, Abia State,
Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, has moved to gather the widely dispersed tailoring
shops in Aba into a cluster located at Umukalika, at the outskirts of Aba. The
idea is to engender more sharing of ideas and innovation among the local
creators of fashionable clothes.
SON’s
part in the arrangement is facilitative. SON is to ensure that the apparels
from Aba and other parts of the country meet international standards in order
to guarantee their access to the international market. SON will do well to help
in monitoring compliance through certification aided by metrology, testing
laboratories and factory inspection.
SON and the Bank of Industry can jointly
come up with incentives and facilities that will improve the quality of the
works of the Aba tailor. Nigerian music is now the delight of the world and the
sound of a continent because some musicians upgraded their skills. If
international standards for tailoring exist, they should be propagated for the
benefit of the local garment producer.
Certainly, the Aba man of the cloth
sewing machine will benefit from any relevant facilities the national standards
body may bring.
SON should encourage the world-conquering possibilities of
the Aba apparel makers and Governor Okezie Okpeazu’s demonstrated support for
the industry. This will consolidate the MINFOW that is happening and strengthen
another Nigerian industry to feed the nation even better than petroleum.
- Dr Mezi Onungwa,
Aba, Abia State.
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