Officials of the National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN) have accused Adams Oshiomhole, a former governor of Edo State and current senator representing Edo North, of rendering the union moribund during his tenure as its president.
Speaking anonymously, several union officials claimed that Oshiomhole’s leadership saw the closure of numerous textile factories, significantly weakening the union.
They allege that despite the decline, Oshiomhole continued to present himself as the president of a “non-existent union,” managing to perpetuate this situation until he transitioned to leadership at the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
The officials criticized Oshiomhole for his alleged mismanagement and described it as a “fraud” that continued unchecked, with severe consequences for the union’s vitality and the textile industry.
One of the officials who spoke to journalists anonymously said: ”When I see him on TV proferring economic solutions, I just laugh. This was a man who singlehandedly killed the Nigerian textile and garment industry due to his greed and lust for power.
”The union died but he continued to present himself as a president of a non-existent union. He successfully perpetuated the fraud until he got to leadership at NLC.”
Meanwhile, Nigeria has launched the Guided Trade Initiative under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to bolster intra-African trade and promote economic diversification.
The initiative, led by President Bola Tinubu, aims to unlock an estimated $50 billion in economic opportunities for Nigerian businesses.
President Tinubu emphasized AfCFTA’s transformative potential, stating that it serves not only as a trade agreement but also as a catalyst for industrialization, equitable growth, and continental prosperity.
“We are pleased to witness Nigeria’s official commencement of trade under the preferential regime established by AfCFTA,” Tinubu said.
