In part one of this series, we laid bare the tragedy of Nigeria’s paper industry-how three magnificent mills at Jebba, Iwopin, and Oku-Iboku, built at enormous public cost, were allowed to decay through neglect, then sold to front companies in a flawed privatisation, then stripped of their assets and left to rust. We quantified the staggering cost: over N1.1 trillion spent annually on paper imports, more than N3.37 trillion between 2021 and 2025, and over 300,000 jobs lost forever. We traced the direct line from closed factories to rising insecurity-armed robbers, kidnappers, bandits, and cybercriminals who were once workers with hope and dignity. But part one ended with a question: can Nigeria reverse this tragedy? The answer is yes-if we have the political will. This is the roadmap for revival.
The first and most urgent step is to reverse the flawed privatisations that transferred Nigeria’s paper mills to investors who lacked the capacity to revive them. The Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), which has taken over some of these facilities, is a debt recovery agency, not an industrial developer. It cannot revive the mills. The federal government must take back these strategic national assets, conduct a transparent forensic audit of what remains, and invite credible investors with proven experience in pulp and paper manufacturing under strict performance-based agreements. The Abia State Government’s recent move to take over the Star Paper Mill from AMCON and revive it offers a model that should be replicated at the federal level. Privatisation without strategic depth merely transfers dead assets to private hands unable to revive them. This time, due diligence must be done before any sale, and the buyers must have the financial capacity and technical expertise to make the mills work.
The second critical element is raw material development. For decades, the argument against reviving Nigeria’s paper industry has been that the country lacks adequate fibre trees for pulp production. This argument is no longer valid. Research has shown that tree species needed for manufacturing woodfree bond paper can be grown in Nigeria with a gestation period of six months, not twelve years or more as formerly believed. Beyond trees, Nigeria has abundant non-wood raw materials that have not been harnessed for maximum use. Kenaf, a plant native to West Africa, produces long fibres comparable to softwood and matures in just 100 to 130 days. Kenaf can be grown in most ecological zones in Nigeria, and its potential remains largely untapped despite cultivation dating back to the 1960s. Bamboo, which grows abundantly in Cross River, Ondo, and Nasarawa states, has been proven to produce pulp yields ranging between 48 and 54 per cent, falling within the acceptable range for good pulpwood. Agricultural residues such as rice straw and sugarcane bagasse also offer enormous potential. The federal government must launch a national raw material development programme that promotes the commercial cultivation of these crops across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, providing farmers with seeds, training, and guaranteed off-take agreements.
The third pillar of revival is the enforcement of the Nigeria First Policy. President Bola Tinubu’s initiative, which mandates that all ministries, departments, and agencies prioritise locally made goods in public procurement, has been hailed as a bold step towards reducing import dependence. Yet months after its unveiling, industry stakeholders warn that implementation remains non-existent in the paper and printing sectors. The policy requires that any procurement of foreign products be accompanied by a formal waiver certifying the non-availability of local alternatives, but this requirement is not being applied. Local producers are unable to compete fairly against an unchecked influx of underpriced and substandard imported paper. As one industry leader put it, ‘We are effectively exporting jobs and importing poverty’. Tariff inconsistencies that favour imported finished books over locally produced ones must be eliminated-imported books currently attract zero tariffs while raw materials such as paper are heavily taxed. Foreign printers from India and China offer 120-day credit terms, but local printers must pay for imported paper two months before it arrives. The government must create a level playing field for local producers.
The fourth element is the creation of a supportive financial environment. The printing and publishing industry, valued at over N300 billion annually and employing hundreds of thousands directly and indirectly, has been severely constrained by the collapse of domestic paper production. Industry stakeholders have proposed the creation of a printing and publishing growth fund, supported by development partners and financial institutions, to provide equipment grants and single-digit interest loans. The government must also address the macroeconomic headwinds-exchange rate depreciation, forex liquidity crisis, high cost of funds, and energy cost escalation-that have made local production uncompetitive. Clustering of operators in the sector, which can propel growth, has been suggested repeatedly, with research-based centres for pulp and paper identified as essential to the sector’s survival. The paper industry in Nigeria is a goldmine waiting for intelligent investors to explore, but there must be a well-defined strategy to develop it.
The fifth element is learning from countries that have successfully navigated similar challenges. Indonesia offers the most compelling example. In 1970, Indonesia had less than 45,000 tonnes of paper production capacity. Through a deliberate and sustained import substitution policy, the Suharto government created an enabling environment for investment in the paper sector. By 1984, Indonesia had 31 paper mills with a production capacity of over 600,000 tonnes per year. Today, Indonesia is one of the world’s largest paper producers, with companies exporting to markets across Asia and beyond. Egypt offers another instructive example. The Egyptian paper industry has maintained a strong reputation for quality, serving both domestic and international markets through consistent policy support and investment in sustainable raw material sources. South Africa, with no significant natural gas reserves, has built a robust paper industry that sources timber from small rural holdings and has produced the world’s most secure passport paper. If Indonesia, Egypt, and South Africa can build thriving paper industries, Nigeria-with its vastly greater natural resources-can do the same.
The final and most important element is political will. The solutions are known. The raw materials are available. The technology exists. The market is vast and growing. What is lacking is the will to reverse the flawed privatisations, to prosecute those who stripped the assets, to enforce the Nigeria First Policy, and to build a new industrial policy that prioritises local production over import dependency. The cost of inaction is staggering: ?674 billion lost annually to foreign producers, $5 billion drained from the economy each year, 300,000 jobs gone, and a nation dependent on foreign suppliers for the very materials of education, governance, and commerce. The cost of action, by contrast, is modest compared to the benefits. Reviving Nigeria’s paper industry would save billions in foreign exchange, create hundreds of thousands of jobs, reduce insecurity, and build the industrial capacity that every developed nation has built. The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry has noted that ‘reviving paper mills in Iwopin, Oku Iboku, and Jebba will reduce import dependency and create jobs’. The Nigerian Publishers Association has urged the government to bring life back into these moribund paper mills.
The mills at Jebba, Iwopin, and Oku-Iboku are not dead; they are dormant. The weeds and reptiles that have taken over their premises will not leave by themselves. They must be removed by a generation that refuses to forget. The insecurity we face Today was manufactured in the boardrooms where Nigeria’s industries were sold for a song. The same generation can unmake it-by demanding that the mills be revived, that kenaf and bamboo be planted, and that young Nigerians be given jobs instead of jail terms. The solution is not external. It is not in foreign aid or foreign intervention. It is in Nigerian factories, Nigerian raw materials, and Nigerian political will. The paper mills are there, waiting to be revived. The question is whether Nigeria will revive them-or whether, like so many other opportunities, they will be left to rust. The choice is clear. The time to act is now. Nigeria cannot afford to remain a net importer of paper. It cannot afford to continue spending billions on what it could produce at home. It cannot afford to keep its youth unemployed while foreign workers produce the paper that Nigerian children use. Open the factories. Employ the youth. Feed the nation. That is the only path to peace.