“In Nigeria, We Are Eating Our Leather Bags, Shoes, Belts” – Minister Laments Industry Neglect
Nigeria’s Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, has raised alarm over the country’s declining leather industry, stating that Nigerians are now “eating their leather bags, shoes, and belts” due to the neglect of the sector.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ forum, Maiha decried the lack of investment in leather production, despite Nigeria being one of Africa’s top producers of hides and skins. He lamented that instead of refining leather for high-value exports, the nation’s dwindling livestock sector has forced many to rely on animal hides (ponmo) as food.
“The leather industry has the potential to generate billions, but we are literally consuming our profits,” he warned, calling for urgent government intervention.
With Nigeria’s leather exports declining, will authorities finally heed the call to revive this once-thriving sector?

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