The Nigerian textile industry has become a victim of its own success. According to recent reports, about 75 per cent of fabric sold there is smuggled into the country and falsely described as 'Made in Nigeria'. The counterfeit goods originate mainly from China and the demand has proved so high that there are calls for diplomatic intervention.

The Director General of the Nigerian Textile Manufacturers' Association, Jaiyola Olanrewaju, is particularly vocal in his demand for high level talks:

"It's a very serious problem [...] We have already proposed to government that they take this up on a diplomatic level. Because the Chinese government cannot claim they don't know that people are manufacturing fabrics there and labelling them as 'Made in Nigeria', which are really not made in Nigeria. The Nigerian public does not know which is which."

Local manufacture suffers
Chinese factories churning out 'Made in Nigeria' labelled clothes is a positive indicator of the high regard of true Nigerian textiles. However, the illicit trade has a very serious impact on the livelihoods of thousands of Nigerians. The smuggled goods are sold for a pittance in the Nigerian market, undercutting local manufacturers and misleading consumers in the process. Ismail Belu of the National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria describes the current situation as disastrous for the Nigerian economy:

"The impact is quite obvious in terms of closure of factories and reduction of workforces such that in the last decade or so the industry moved from an employment level of about 100,000 to something below 20,000 now."