Union lists factors against growth of paper industry

UFOMBA UZUEGBU with Agency reports

Organized labour under the aegis of the Pulp, Paper and Paper Products, Printing and Publishing Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PPAPPPAPSSAN has identified high foreign exchange rate and cost of production as major factors militating against the operations of printing and publishing companies in the country. Others include lack of infrastructural facilities like power supply and high cost of diesel and gas.

The union has therefore called on the Federal Government for quick revitalization of the sector as it struggles to save jobs.

The union lamented that the industry which had over 300,000 employees and an investment worth over N100bn in the 90s, presently could no longer boast of 20,000 employees.

The President of PPAPPPAPSSAN, Dada Joseph who stated these while speaking the at the union’s 9th Triennial National Delegates Conference, held in Lagos, urged government to intervene to avoid the sector going into extinction.

He noted that if the sector works optimally, Nigeria stands to save a whopping N400bn yearly and also create over 200,000 jobs for the youths, stressing that the companies in the paper, printing and publishing sector, seemed to be the worst hit and neglected, notwithstanding their importance and relevance in the nation’s economy.

Joseph said: “The Federal Government of Nigeria in 1970s to 90s identified the importance of the sector to the economy and gave it the recognition it deserved by establishing three important paper mills/industries: Nigerian Paper Mill, Jebba; Iwopin Pulp Paper Limited, Iwopin and Nigerian Newspaper Newsprints Manufacturing Company, Oku Iboku to limit the importation of raw materials to feed the sector.

The hard fact here is that the companies are dead except Nigeria Paper Mill, Jebba, which is gasping to survive.”

He revealed that the industries shut down operations due to the high cost of foreign exchange rates in spite of their viability, and the cost of production.

In a communique issued at the end of the conference, the union called on the Federal Government to create a conducive and enabling environment for the sector to thrive.

It charged government to provide necessary infrastructure like power supply, access roads and urgently subsidize the cost of diesel and gas usage of the major players in the industry to enable them to run their factories profitably.

The conference in-session also called on the Federal Government to reconsider policy on privatization of the three major primary paper mills, by constituting a committee of the major stakeholders including the unions in the industry to work out the strategies to revive the moribund mills with a view of improving the economy.

The union, among other requests also called on employers in all paper, printing and publishing industries in both public and private sectors to respect and apply labour laws and court judgement, especially in respect of the National Industrial Court (NIC) judgement on the jurisdictional scope of the association of Monday 11th May 2020.

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