FG to establish leather factories across 36 states, It’ll reduce ponmo consumption

The Nigerian Institute of Leather and Science Technology (NILEST) has unveiled plans to establish mini tanneries or factories in every state across the country, aiming to process hides and skins into leather.

Mohammed Yakubu, the director-general of NILEST and chairman of the national leather policy implementation committee, emphasized the need for additional tanneries to equip Nigeria with the necessary infrastructure and technology for efficient leather processing.

“Nigeria is not unknown in the area of leather products. We used to have 84 leather industries and some even have branches in Italy and Spain,” Yakubu said, adding, “The Nigerian leather industry had branches in Europe. We want that to come back. ”He noted that the leather industry had collapsed due to poor infrastructure and emphasized that NILEST and the policy implementation committee would continue to urge the federal government to make concessions, especially in providing affordable power, to revitalize the industry.

Yakubu clarified that the lack of technology was not the main obstacle; rather, it was the poor infrastructure, with power consumption accounting for over 50 percent of production costs. “For Nigeria to compete with global leaders like China, Brazil, and India in the leather industry, we need a reliable and cost-effective supply of power,” he stated. He urged the government to provide affordable power to the leather industry, stressing the need for cheap power to support Nigerian industries, especially the leather sector.

Yakubu also mentioned that establishing mini tanneries could help reduce the consumption of animal hides, known locally as ‘ponmo,’ which is widely eaten in Nigeria because existing industries cannot process the surplus hides and skins produced. “We are eating the hides and skin as ponmo because if we don’t eat it, the available industries cannot mop all the hides and skin produced in Nigeria,” he said. He noted that Lagos State alone slaughters approximately 100,000 cows daily, while only 48 industries are available to purchase and process these hides.

“The main problem is power. As far as I’m concerned, the issue of tax is secondary,” he explained. “What’s important is to employ our teeming youths and attract foreign exchange. Whatever concession is given to the industries will never be a waste.” Yakubu called on the government to address the power component for processing industries, saying, “with this problem, it is not going to be an easy task for the industries to come back to life.”

Highlighting their campaign to reduce the consumption of ponmo, Yakubu stated, “We recognize that if people stop eating Kpomo, those involved in its sale will suffer losses. In the meantime, we, the institute, are setting up mini tanneries across Nigeria to purchase the hides and skins, process them into leather, and export the finished products.” He explained that these mini tanneries would be capable of processing between one to five tonnes of leather weekly, focusing on products that can be manufactured from the processed leather.