Director General, National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Chief Olusegun Runsewe, has appealed to the governor of Niger State, Mohammed Umar Bago to rescind his ban on the wearing of native wears by the state civil servants to the office except on Fridays.
Runsewe stated that the ban may be misconstrued by many people, particularly the Nigerian young persons who have taken to wearing and showcasing Nigerian wears at social events and also outside the country, thus helping to promote the richness of Nigerian culture and tradition.
Runsewe, who is also the president of the Africa Region of the World Craft Council, further explained that the ban, if not reappraised, may hurt Nigeria’s local fashion industry, impacting on the tailoring profession and the revival of fabric sector which in recent times is facing stiff competition from foreign companies who fake and import poor quality Nigerian fabrics into the country.
“I want to most sincerely appeal to His Excellency, Governor Mohammed Bago to kindly help us keep in focus our efforts to proudly dress as Nigerians and a course which will help us market our culture, thus creating jobs for our youths, particularly women whose are in the area of selling native cloth materials and farming of cotton used in the production of the local fabrics.
“The ban will hurt Niger state fabrics economy and impoverish the tailors and all those involved in the downstream sector of the local fashion economy and may in the long run if not rescinded, give a huge negative edge to eurocentric fabrics against our cultural way of dressing” Runsewe reasoned.
On Saturday, at the presentation of land development and preparation equipment at the Brains and Hammers Rice city in the wushishi local government, the governor banned the wearing of native wear by state civil servants, both men and women, saying the state workforce should dress like workers who want to create wealth and not as noble men, adding that such cultural value impedes desire to work in order to create wealth.
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