Imperialism and Economic Dependency in the Nigerian Textile Industry

A Synoptic Study of Liberalisation Policy and Nigeria-China Trade Relations.

Abstract

This paper x-rays the impact of trade liberalization between China and Nigeria in the textile trade industry with the Kantin-kwari Market, Kano, as a case study. It could be recalled that the military regime of Sani Abacha having made Nigeria an international pariah nation as a result of its human right abuse records, got China as the only major country to associate with. This consequentially brought about Nigeria’s dependency on China, which has continued unabated till today and has affected a good number of Nigeria’s socio-economic and political structures. This paper therefore interrogates the economic attractions in Nigeria-China trade relations and how that relation has particularly affected the sustainability of the textile industry in Nigeria. The study employed the instrumentality of qualitative research as data were generated from existing knowledge and analyzed contently. Dependency theory provided the necessary explicatory framework and helped in establishing intellectual linkages between variables. It was discovered that the easy access to loans and other infrastructural aids from China was the major attraction to China. It was also discovered that the closure of textile shops and its concomitant unemployment in the industry have increased due to the fact that the Chinese were having retail shops in the market while the original owners of the trade were currently playing the role of middlemen for the Chinese. The paper therefore recommended that the government should assist indigenous textile producers and dealers financially and logistically. It should also by protective by putting up some protective measures, as seen in Kenya, in the implementation of liberalization policy. Again, adequate infrastructure such as electricity, conducive environment, etc. should be put in place so as to ameliorate and reduce the cost expended by indigenous manufacturers in Nigeria during production.