For most households in Iseyin where traditional cloth weaving is the major source of livelihood, they all disembarked from the wooden loom. They had woven enough clothing materials at home, but there was no one to buy them. Hunger and frustration dealt a massive blow.Taiwo and her husband, Jelil, had nowhere to go. They had no other business or means of survival and life became unbearable. Yet, they welcomed Mojeed into the world with open hands.“It was a tough time for us.
Oluwayemisi has been making aso-ofi for over 20 years – from 7 am to 6 pm. She only rests on Sundays. Her dexterity and energy were contagious as she answered questions smoothly without a break from weaving. She learnt the job when she dropped out of school after her primary education. “On a pack of material, I make a profit of N500 to N1,000, although I used to make more before COVID happened. Things were so bad that feeding became a huge problem. We prayed fervently and waited endlessly for the pandemic to end,” Ayodele said.
Nigeria has a huge appetite for importation. In 2019, the Nigerian Textile Manufacturers Association says the country spends $4 billion importing textiles annually. The National Bureau of Statistics trade report shows that the importation of textile and textile articles rose year-on-year by 258% in the first three months of 2021 to N171.8 billion from N48 billion in the same period of 2020.
So, as soon as Raimot comes back from school in the afternoon, she eats, freshens up and mounts the loom to weave some fabrics till late in the evening. Yet, she believes the time she spends weaving cannot stop her future ambition of becoming a doctor.
BOINigeria seyiamakinde taiween pulitzercenter ShinaPeller thecableindex FeedbackOYSG AfDB_Group smedaninfo But come o this stuffs really looks very nice ooo wow amazing. Those who are into importation of textiles and our Gov are really wicked, they don’t care for the development of the country.