A people’s culture, like human, naturally evolves depending on the degree of its exposure to foreign influence.

One aspect of the material culture of the Yoruba people of the Southwest which has survived centuries of foreign domination against all odds is the traditional hand woven cloth called Aso-oke (Ofi). This industry, which is a product of the twin gem of human ingenuity and imagination, is still very much regarded as a distinctive heritage of the Yoruba culture today.

In spite of the influx of foreign fabrics like Ankara, lace and damasks into the country, Aso-oke still remains the most revered traditional cloth in Yorubaland and even beyond. It is an all seasons’ attire for all occasions, which comes in different shades and colours. In the ancient time, it was the most preferred attire for wedding, burial ceremony, naming, chieftaincy and coronation, among others.

In those good old days, complete women attire consisted of Iro (wrapper), Buba (blouse), gele (head-tie), shawl (ipele), Iborun or buba which is usually hung on the shoulder of the user. Yoruba men, on the other hand, used to wear a complete dress consisting of sokoto (trousers), buba (top), agbada (large embroidered flowing gown) and fila abeti aja (dog ear’s cap).

In Ilorin, Kwara State capital, Iseyin (Oyo State) and ancient town of Ede (Osun State), the industry provides employment for the bulk of their population and has, therefore, contributed in no small measure to the growth of their economy.

A popular dealer of Aso-oke at Okelele in Ilorin, Alhaji Oba Sulaiman Olanrewaju, in an interview with Sunday Sun traced the source of his fortune to the industry. “To the glory of God almighty, it is through this industry that I became what I am today. I have no other means of livelihood. It is from it that I trained those of my children who have graduated from university and served their fatherland as well as those who are in the process of gaining admission.”

He, however, expressed concern over the steady decline in production and patronage of Aso-oke, which, according to him, may lead to its eventual extinction, if nothing is done to arrest the situation. Looking into the trend in the industry in the last four decades, Olanrewaju chronicled the story of the fluctuating demand for their products thus: “It is by the grace of God that we are still surviving in this business. At least, I can recall five or four different phases in the ups and downs fortune of Aso-oke industry which dates back to 1973.

This happened at a time when the government established Army Barracks at Sobi, a suburb of Ilorin. Because of availability of work at the ongoing construction site, many of those working for us abandoned weaving craft to pick up daily paid job. They were being paid two and a half penny per day, which was then a big money. But when they could no longer cope with the stress and hazard of the job, they withdrew and came back to the industry. In those hard times, there was a serious dearth of manpower in the industry. So, we had to make do with the little we could do on our own. Against all odds, we survived the downturn and subsequently witnessed a slight improvement in demand.

“At the advent of the present democratic dispensation, another downward trend set in.  This was occasioned by a new fashion style introduced by the late wife of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Stella, who completely abandoned Aso-oke attire in preference to (Tapanpa) damask. It then became a vogue for women to use damask as Ipele and gele, while their men counterparts adopted same for cap on ceremonial occasions. We never had it so bad. For months during the regime of Obasanjo, my shop was under lock and key, as there was no one to buy the materials. Some of our colleagues died in the process because they had no alternative means of livelihood.”

In his own submission, Mr. Jimoh Amuda, 12, Alaka’s compound, Ilorin, linked the genesis of the decline in the use of Aso-oke as traditional attire to the late wife of former president Ibrahim Babangida, Maryam Babangia, who as the then First Lady reduced fashion style to only Ipele and gele instead of complete attire. “As the First Lady, women saw her as a role model and adopted her style accordingly. As a result, instead of 32 old narrow strips women use for complete attire, they reduced it to 10 strips for iro and gele,” he said.

Sunday Sun further gathered that China-made Aso-oke has found its way into the Nigerian market, particularly Lagos and now constitutes a serious threat to the survival of the traditional industry. Abdul-Mumeen Shuaib, also an Ilorin-based weaver, lamented the situation, saying, “The problem we are confronted with now is the influx of China-made Aso-oke into the Nigerian market. We appeal to government to check the importation of these materials to save our economy especially the industry from collapsing.”

Worried by the development, a group of associations of Aso-oke weavers staged a demonstration rally in Lagos in 2012 to alert the government to the impending danger of the influx of Chinese fabrics into the Nigerian market vis-a-viz the locally produced Ofi. Abdul-rahamon Olayinka, Oke Agbede area, Ilorin, gave an account of the rally. “When China-made Aso-oke first made its appearance in the Nigerian market, demand for Aso-oke was so badly affected that it almost forced us out of business. As a result, we had to organize China-must-go rally in Lagos in 2012 to draw the attention of government to the threat of imported Chinese materials to our local industry. Although it is still in the market, but not as much as it was before we did the rally,” he said.

By comparative standard, China-made Aso-oke is said to be of inferior quality. Olanrewaju dismissed it as a mere tissue paper, which cannot stand the test of time. “If it is not Ofi, it cannot be like Ofi. Our own is hand woven, thick and long- lasting. The China-made imitation is machine woven, light in texture and as fragile as ordinary paper. It doesn’t last. So, it’s a world of difference. Their intention is to kill our local industry so that they can flood our market with their materials, but God will not allow it to happen,” he maintained.

At present, the only two designated centres for Ofi fabrics in the whole of Yorubaland are the Ede and Ibadan markets, which, according to Amuda, attracts traders every fortnight alternately. The centres attract people from all walks of life from Ondo, Akure, Kaduna, Kano, Sokoto and even other countries in the Africa sub region.

According to the market survey carried out by Sunday Sun, Sanyan and Alaari types of Aso-oke are the most expensive materials people use for important occasions such as wedding and coronation. At the Ede market, the average price for either of these ranges between N25, 000 and N30, 000 for a complete attire. As for Ipele and gele, the price is between N7, 000 and N10, 000 depending on a chosen design. A notable Ofi dealer in Ede, Alhaji Karimu Bolohunduro, attributed the relatively high price of Sanyan or Alaari to the cost of materials and the time-consuming production process.

“Why it is so is because it is not something you can do within two week. It takes more time to weave than other materials. Usually, you need at least six months to the occasion to make complete attire, if you don’t want to disappoint your customer,” he explained.

Sunday Sun investigation showed that relatively high price, fear of disappointment, hard, stiff and heavy nature of Ofi are partly some of the reasons why contemporary society people prefer to go for factory printed fabrics like lace or Ankara  as Aso-ebi (ceremonial uniform) for occasions. In the circumstance, coping with the constantly changing fashion trend requires continuous innovation in order to keep pace with the new vogue.

But this has remained a big challenge to the traditional hand woven industry which still depends largely on old technique. It is only in the recent time that some modifications were introduced into the industry to make it competitive with foreign textile.

With the new technique, the quality of local fabrics is now more flexible and finer in texture than the old ones. Similarly, the old narrow strips pattern has been modified to a wider form, using imported materials. However, this is yet to meet the demand of the modern time. According to Alhaji Abdulahi Shuaib of Mosalasi area of Oke-Agbede, about 32 old narrow strips are stitched together to make larger piece of cloth which could be used for complete attire for men or women. This, he said, had been reduced to 17 strips, making it much lighter to wear.

A middle-aged weaver at Iseyin, Olawale Ismail told Sunday Sun they were inspired to venture into the new innovation because of the threat of imported fabrics. According to him, Aso-oke now comes in different designs in line with the modern trend.

“Many people are still looking at traditional weaving industry in the eye of the old. With the great deal of innovations the new generation of weavers has brought into the industry, there is no design on factory printed materials that cannot be replicated on Aso-oke. This is why politicians are now embracing it as uniform for political rally. And we have never disappointed them. To their delight, we inscribe the symbol of their party, if it is so required,” he explained.

However, Mukaila Agbojulogun, Secretary of Oluwakunmi Nigeria Weaving Association, blamed the inability of the industry to keep pace with rapidly changing fashion trend on low working capital as well as scarcity of materials. He said, “Fluctuation in the price of imported materials is affecting us. As we speak, there are some materials that are not readily available. For instance, we have been looking for red silk since December and up till now it is still unavailable.

What caused the scarcity, we don’t know.”
Sunday Sun further gathered that weavers had always grappled with perennial problem of low productivity and patronage at the beginning of every rainy season as they have to stretch out unwoven warp yarns in an open space. To that extent, it affects their maximum productivity and the ability to deliver contract on schedule.

Olanrewaju didn’t mince word on this, saying, “Nobody can guarantee absolute delivery of contract during the rainy season. All our customers are already aware of the challenges we normally face when rains are on. So, due to the incessant disturbances caused by the rain, we usually request them to give us enough space of time so that we will not disappoint them. If, for instance, we need one month to do a particular job, we will request for two months in the rainy season.”

But Abdul-Mumeen Shuaib allayed the fear of disappointment. “I have just delivered about 2000 complete sets of Aso-oke assigned to me for marriage and I did not disappoint them. As a matter of fact, they were so satisfied with what I did that they gave me a special gift for a job well done and also for keeping to my promise.”

In order to guarantee all-year-round productivity, Olanrewaju appealed to government to assist them by building factories for them in place of the open yards where they are currently operating and which expose them to hazard of rains. “The only help government can do for us is to build factories for us in different zones where weaving is going on in the state to facilitate uninterrupted production both during and after the rainy season,” he said.

He also pleaded with the government to resuscitate the old cotton industry in Ilorin to make materials cheaper and accessible. “They should also revive the comatose cotton industry established in Ilorin in those days by the Kwara State Government.

The high price of imported materials is affecting our profit margin.  A complete material which formerly goes for N9, 000 is now as low as N4, 500; whereas the cost of material is skyrocketing. These materials come in different colours and sometimes they are not even available in the market in the desired ranges,” he added.

Apart from declining patronage, high of cost materials and unhealthy competition with foreign textile, one other major challenge confronting the industry is lack of access to loan. The inability of the people in the industry to access either commercial bank loan or direct government’s assistance is partly blamed on lack of credible association to stand as guarantor for them. Mrs. Adiza Olaosebikan in charge of media for the Bank of Industry (BOI), speaking with Sunday Sun, said the bank’s loan facility is open to all, but that applicants must be ready to provide the needed collateral to guarantee repayment. “Everybody has access to our loan facility. But there are criteria for them to meet before they can be given loan either as individual or group. One thing they must understand is that our loan is not a grant.

They normally have cooperative society where they obtain loan without interest. But we have to let them understand that money taken from the bank is not a grant, it is a loan. And they have to provide collateral. These are the people at the lowest rung of the ladder. But if they form cooperative, it will be easier for them to access loan. It is easier for them to get loan if they are organized into groups rather than individuals because a single person cannot provide collateral,” she explained.

Many of the weavers who spoke with Sunday Sun decried high interest rates charged by commercial banks and vowed not to go for bank loans. Olanrewaju said bluntly, “If they are ready to give us loan, some interested members of our association may take it. But as for me, I won’t take a loan from either government or bank because I don’t want to leave debt burden for my children after I might have gone.”
Those of the younger generation who are advocating for financial assistance to expand their operation, however, blamed governments at all levels for their lackluster attitude towards the industry, especially unwillingness to give loan assistance. Mukaila Agbojulogun, Secretary of Oluwakunmi Nigeria Weaving Association, lamenting paucity of funds, said, “At present, our working capital is too small to produce at maximum capacity. The elderly ones among us are not so keen on taking loan, but the younger generation needs access to loan in order to meet the modern demands.”

Abdulahi added his voice, stressing that “If government can give out loans to transport unions to buy new buses for their members and work out repayment procedure, they should also extend the same gesture to us. Some banks have approached us for loan, but the interest they charge is on the high side.

So, many people are afraid of going for bank loan because the interest is far above the profit margin. If they can give us access to loan at an affordable interest rate, I will go for it. This is a money spinning industry, but we need loan to meet increasing demand for our products.”

On his part, Ridwanulah Alaaya, a member of the committee of association of Aso-oke weavers in Ilorin, accused government of disbursing loan assistance based on political consideration. He said, “I think what has made it difficult for government to extend its credit facility to us is policy politicization. In this era of politics, access to loan benefit is largely determined by your political affiliation, whereas, it is impossible for all us to move towards the same direction.

Our association is non partisan. We deliberately chose to stay out of politics so that the association can endure. This is because the moment you introduce politics into the association, there will be clash of interests among members. So, I think it is because we have not openly identified ourselves with a particular party that is why we are being denied access to loans unlike the transport union. Our association has met with the government on a number of occasions to discuss how we can have access to loan, but at the end of it all, nothing has happened.”

But in a quick reaction to the allegation, Mr. Popoola Elegbede, HOD, Research, Museum and Documentation Department, Kwara State Council for Arts and Culture, exonerated the government and explained the futile efforts made by the council to organise the weavers into a credible organization.  “Around 1988/89, we organized a process of registering Association of Aso-ofi weavers in Kwara State. We went from local government to local government to register them.

Our intension was to organize them into groups to make it easier for them to get whatever assistance they want from government. If they are well organized, we can stand as a guarantor for them to secure loans.  And we tried our effort; some of them registered, processed it half way but didn’t come back again. That is the problem we are having with them. I am sure, if they cooperate among themselves, the government will be able to come to their aid.”

According to Elegbede, part of government’s incentives to promote indigenous art and craft industry in the state is the annual exhibition tagged: Kwara State Festival of Arts and Craft. “In 2010, we organized Kwara State Festival of Arts and Craft (KWAFEST) to promote indigenous industries. It was organized by the Ministry of Social Development, Culture and Tourism. Council for Arts and culture is under that ministry. This is in addition to National Festival for Arts and Culture (NAFEST), which is being organized by the Federal Government.” He explained that inability to hold the event in the two previous years was due to lack of funds.

In his opinion, there is a need for deliberate effort to involve fashion designers in promotion of local fabrics, as they are the ones setting the tone for latest vogue in town, noting that ‘some fashion designers have used Aso-oke in a very modern way.’

The President of Fashion Designers Association of Nigeria, Mrs. Funmi Ajila, speaking with Sunday Sun in a telephone interview, said effort was already being made to establish branches of the union in all the 36 states of the federation with a view to promoting local fabrics. “As new generation of fashion designers, we are out to set a new standard; we are doing everything to open chapters of our association in all the states of the federation with a view to promoting local fabrics and modernize them.

But government on its part should look inward and come up with a policy that will build our textile industries.  At present, government is not encouraging us.”

There is a consensus among the stakeholders that government’s non chalant attitude is impacting negatively on the industry.

There is, therefore, an urgent need for a change to save the industry from collapsing and worsening the mass unemployment scourge in the country.