A University of Ibadan professor, Professor Abiodun Oluwafemi Oluwadare, has stated that with an enabling environment and adequate investments, the Nigerian pulp and paper industry can come back to life from its current moribund state and contribute substantially to the country’s economic growth and job creation.
The professor of paper science and wood quality from the Department of Forest Production and Products of the university made this known in Ibadan on Thursday while delivering the university’s 535th inaugural lecture titled ‘Scarcity in abundance: The pain of Nigerian pulp and paper mills’.
Professor Oluwadare stated that the Nigerian paper industry is a strategic sector that should play an active part in the country’s sustainable industrialization and economic diversification.
“There is a lot of potential waiting for harvest in the pulp and paper sector, and there is no reason why Nigeria should be a net importer of paper products when God has endowed it to be a net exporter of paper products,” he said.
He lamented that the country is faced with a dire need to meet the paper requirements of its increasing population and demanding industries, adding that, at present, the net import of paper and paper products in the country is over 380 million metric tonnes.
He further lamented that Nigeria, with a growing and viable newspaper, book, publishing, and printing industries, now depends heavily on foreign manufacturers for its paper needs, spending huge amounts of foreign exchange in the process.
He listed inadequate local raw material supply, lack of paper-testing equipment in institutions of higher learning, lack of industrial support and research, and bad government policies and interest in paper mills as some of the pains and challenges facing the paper industry.
“Nigeria is groping in the valley of indecision to revitalise the ailing paper sector. Thus, the pain will continue until appropriate steps are taken,” the professor said.
On the other hand, he emphasised that there is hope for the industry and that the industry holds much promise and investment opportunities for the country. He added that the raw materials to produce papers are in Nigeria and that an investment in them can be guaranteed once the enabling environment is provided.
“The profitability of such an investment is assured, with global prices of various pulp types being relatively higher than crude oil. In comparison to the global oil price, paper is more expansive,” he said.
Professor Oluwadare recommended that the University of Ibadan have a paper recycling centre where waste papers can be converted into value-added products.
He also recommended that the Federal Government find a lasting solution to the importation of books and paper products by individuals, companies, and government agencies.
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