Traders of indigenous adire fabrics in Ogun State on Tuesday sought an end to what they called incursion of adulterated Chinese adire in the Nigerian market.
The traders specifically called on Governor Dapo Abiodun to ban the sales of adulterated Chinese adire in the local markets, saying this would save the culture and heritage of the state.
The traders embarked on an advocacy walk in Abeokuta to sensitise the people on the danger of the invasion of the adulterated fabrics.
The traders with various placards marched to the palace of the Alake and paramount ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo to also seek his intervention to end importation of Chinese adire.
Some of the inscriptions on their placards read: “Support Local adire producers, say no to Chinese adire”, Mr. Governor save our tradition, ban Chinese adire imports in Ogun” and “Our local adire, our global identity. Let’s protect what’s ours”.
Addressing journalists, one of the traders, Ogunfidodo Michael lamented that the incursion of adulterated Chinese adire into the local market “Is pushing the locally made adire into extinction.
“We are trying to sensitise our people to know the danger effect of wearing the look-like adire fabrics. It is a synthetic cloth that is paramount all over, people think that it is adire but it is not adire.
“This thing has to be stopped in all the markets because this is killing the industry, it is rendering our youths jobless.
“We have told all our people who are dealing in it that they should stop it. We have given them a duration of time for them to dispose of all the ones that they have in their shops, once that is done, if they refuse the whole thing will be destroyed”, Ogunfidodo said.
He appealed to the federal government to revive the Nigerian textile industry and save locally produced attire from going into extinction.