The House of Representatives has urged the Federal Government to prohibit the import of foreign textiles. Lawmakers contend that such a ban would revitalize domestic textile production, thereby creating jobs, alleviating social challenges, increasing government revenue, diversifying the economy, and fostering overall socio-economic development across the nation.

During Wednesday's plenary session, the Green Chamber adopted a motion put forth by Garba Muhammed (NNPP-Kano), highlighting the substantial contribution of the Nigerian textile industry to the manufacturing sector, with over 180 mills operational between the 1960s and 1980s. Muhammad's presentation further noted that the sector employed at least 450,000 individuals and contributed 67 percent to annual growth, making it the largest employer of labor at the time.

He pointed out that Nigeria has abundant raw materials like cotton and wool for textile production, which could significantly boost local productivity and the economy. Muhammad expressed concern over "the significant decline in the textile industry over the last two decades, resulting in the lay-off of thousands of workers from companies like Kaduna Textile, Kano Textile, Aba Textile, United Nigeria Textile and First Spinners, among others."

He asserted that the discovery of oil in Nigeria led to a decline in cotton production, a vital raw material for the textile industry, consequently hitting the sector hard. He further raised concerns about "government policies, such as higher taxation, expensive production costs and trade liberalization, leading to extensive importation of textile materials, which had had a negative impact on the production of local textiles."

The House urged the Federal Ministry of Power to work with the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment to provide essential facilities, particularly power supply, to local textile manufacturing companies to improve production quality. Furthermore, the lawmakers called on the Federal Ministries of Finance, Industry, Trade and Investment, and other relevant agencies to support local textile manufacturers by offering soft loans and easy access to credit facilities through the Bank of Industry