Dress Nigeria, diversify the economy

Abstract

This essay contends that dress and identity are inseparable companions. Dress form an outstanding base for personal and cultural identification. Identity  is a necessary process of a healthy personality as it is a part of self-realisation of a person. The paper sees Nigeria as a personality to dress up  with derivable economic potentials and gains. It posits that even though Nigeria is a multi-ethnic society, we can successfully dress Nigeria, arguing that  there is strength in diversity; diverse cultures give us a lot of cultural options to choose from and project. Ultimately an ethno-national dress culture can  emerge to symbolise our national identity. To dress Nigeria therefore, with her large population, will translate to huge economic boost in terms of job  creation, vibrant textile industry with vast value chain. To diversify the Nigerian economy through dress culture, the paper offers a number of  recommendations which in themselves anticipate an allembracing dress and textile policy for Nigeria.