It has been revealed that an African tannery located in Nigeria that supplies leather for Ralph Lauren shirts that sell for £2,000 has received funding from British taxpayers.
And last night in the UK, after the revelation was made, it sparked a furious reaction from MPs demanding an end to the UK’s commitment to spend at least 0.7 per cent of national income on foreign aid.
A Mail on Sunday investigation had discovered that The British Council provided cash for two failed
projects at the tannery in Nigeria, God’s Little Tannery, which is in Kano.
One scheme was to treat effluent from the factory, so harmful chemicals could be extracted, avoiding the pollution of a nearby river. It was halted because large fans needed for the process never arrived.
The other project was an attempt to make poultry feed from by-products of the leather production process. For several months hundreds of chickens were fed pomo – a food made from boiling cow, goat or sheep skin.
It is a porridge-like meal eaten by some Nigerians.
A control group of birds fed regular feed, maize and palm kernels did far better so the scheme was scrapped. Together, the schemes cost the British Council £10,000.
In September 2011 the British Council also spent £2,000 flying top British leather designer Bill Amberg to a fashion week in Nigeria’s capital, Lagos.
The God’s Little Tannery owner is Kofi Udeagha and pictured below is his eldest son, Winston Udeagha.
The majority of the God’s Little Tannery skins are shipped to Southern Italy where they are bought by leather agents the Romano brothers who in turn sell them on to a local tannery called Europell.
And last night in the UK, after the revelation was made, it sparked a furious reaction from MPs demanding an end to the UK’s commitment to spend at least 0.7 per cent of national income on foreign aid.
A Mail on Sunday investigation had discovered that The British Council provided cash for two failed
projects at the tannery in Nigeria, God’s Little Tannery, which is in Kano.
One scheme was to treat effluent from the factory, so harmful chemicals could be extracted, avoiding the pollution of a nearby river. It was halted because large fans needed for the process never arrived.
The other project was an attempt to make poultry feed from by-products of the leather production process. For several months hundreds of chickens were fed pomo – a food made from boiling cow, goat or sheep skin.
It is a porridge-like meal eaten by some Nigerians.
A control group of birds fed regular feed, maize and palm kernels did far better so the scheme was scrapped. Together, the schemes cost the British Council £10,000.
In September 2011 the British Council also spent £2,000 flying top British leather designer Bill Amberg to a fashion week in Nigeria’s capital, Lagos.
The God’s Little Tannery owner is Kofi Udeagha and pictured below is his eldest son, Winston Udeagha.
At Europell, the hides are turned into suede and then sold on to factories in Tuscany and northern Italy that produce clothes, bags and shoes for a host of designer brands, including Yves Saint Laurent, Ralph Lauren, Fendi, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Jimmy Choo and Valentino.
Back in Kano, Winston Udeagha, eldest son of God’s Little Tannery owner Kofi Udeagha, said his supervisors earned around £100 a month and that the company sold the skins for £1.40 per square metre. He said his company had been dealing with Louis Vuitton for 16 years.
A spokesman for the British Council said it had made a ‘small contribution’ to the business in 2007. He added: ‘It makes a positive contribution to the Nigerian economy which helps to stabilise the region.’
Louis Vuitton also declined to comment, DailyMail reports.
Mail on Sunday investigators charted the incredible journey of the leather hides from the dilapidated tannery in Kano to the hub of the African leather importing business in Southern Italy, as pictured below.
Back in Kano, Winston Udeagha, eldest son of God’s Little Tannery owner Kofi Udeagha, said his supervisors earned around £100 a month and that the company sold the skins for £1.40 per square metre. He said his company had been dealing with Louis Vuitton for 16 years.
A spokesman for the British Council said it had made a ‘small contribution’ to the business in 2007. He added: ‘It makes a positive contribution to the Nigerian economy which helps to stabilise the region.’
Louis Vuitton also declined to comment, DailyMail reports.
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