Nigeria's government has banned imports of all printed fabrics in order to protect its own ailing industry.

The number of local textile factories in Nigeria has fallen to just 40, a quarter of the number seen in the mid-1980s.

We government officials will now wear made-in-Nigeria textiles

Jerry Gana Information Minister

The government said it took the decision in order to protect against dumping - when exported goods are sold below their normal value.

"It's a matter of the survival of Nigeria," said Information Minister Professor Jerry Gana.

"This administration has the political will to sustain the fight," he said, stressing the importance of the industry in terms of job creation.

The government hopes to generate a yearly income of $1bn (�640m) from local textile production, according to Nigeria's Guardian newspaper.

Crackdown on smuggling

Chief Kola Jamodu, minister of industry, is leading a ministerial committee charged with making Nigeria's self-sufficient in textile production by 2006.

In order to shore up the industry, the government has adopted new measures that include:

a crackdown on smuggled imports

reduced import taxes on raw materials for textiles

compulsory purchase of locally-made textiles by the army, government and schools

harmonisation of local prices

The ban on the import of printed fabrics will be in place until the government agrees which fabrics can be allowed into the country.