The Federal Government has lamented the neglect of Nigeria’s leather industry, stating that the sector has the potential to generate over N23 billion and provide employment for nearly 700,000 Nigerians.
The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, made this known on Wednesday while speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, monitored by Mega Icon Magazine. He expressed concern that Nigerians were consuming hides and skins—materials that could otherwise be used for manufacturing leather products.
“If I tell you now, we are eating shoes, we are eating bags, we are eating belts, somebody begins to wonder, why do you say I’m eating my shoes? I’m eating my bags, I’m eating my belts. Of course, these are hides and skins that we are eating,” he stated.
Maiha stressed that the widespread consumption of animal hides (commonly known as ponmo) as food has resulted in the loss of billions of naira in potential revenue for the leather industry. He emphasized the need for centralized abattoirs and skin collection centers to optimize the use of hides and skins for industrial purposes.
“For you to optimize skin collection, you need a central animal processing unit. By our estimation, that industry can employ almost 700,000 Nigerians and, by value, our own estimation, about N23bn. Now, we are not there yet because of certain incidences,” the minister noted.
Maiha also cited the success of the shoe-making industries in Maiduguri and Aba, where local manufacturers are already producing high-quality footwear, including jungle boots for the armed forces. He argued that Nigeria has the capacity to manufacture most of the shoes currently being imported, urging citizens to embrace locally made products.
The minister further warned against the health hazards of using kerosene to burn animal skins, stressing the need for safer and more hygienic processing methods.
With the right investments and policies, Maiha believes Nigeria’s leather industry could become a major economic driver, creating jobs and boosting local production in the fashion and manufacturing sectors.
