The Nigerian Federal Goverment and some of the country's banks raised N70-billion to revitalise the textile industry.

Minister of Labour, Dr Hassan Lawal, made this announcement on Tuesday at the 19th Annual Education Conference of the National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers (NUTGTWN) held in Jos. The theme of the conference was: "Labour and Industry in a Transition Period."

According to Lawal, the industries in some areas have already benefited from the fund, made available to them at special interest rates.

The President of NUTGTWN, Mr. Reginald Agulanna, said that production by the textile industries has dropped in spite of plans by the previous by the government of president Olusegun Obasanjo to revive it. Agulanna noted trade liberalisation, conflicting policies and high production costs as some of the obstacles facing the industy as a whole.

Gov. Jonah Jang of Plateau said his government supported any plans aimed at promoting the growth of textile and tailoring industries. He also stressed the importance of including textile and tailoring studies in the curriculum of schools as this would enhance professionalism in the industry.