By Merit Ibe
President -Elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has been urged to overhaul the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN, the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) and Industrial Training Fund (ITF).
The Association of Nigeria Artisans and Technicians (ASNAT), in conjunction with the Rikiji Foundation, argued that as movers of Nigeria’s micro economy and service providers, they had been so much neglected by previous administrations.
Led by Sanusi Gusau, they claimed that the aforementioned agencies saddled with the responsibility to look after the functionality of artisans and technicians in the country have failed to live up to their mandates.
Gusau who is the director of Artisans and Technicians, APC Presidential Campaign Council Directorate, at a press conference in Abuja stated: “We therefore humbly call upon the incoming administration for the total overhauling of agencies like the SMEDAN, NDE, and Industrial Training Fund (ITF) for an effective economic revitalisation and enhanced productivity in the country by improving on small and agro-allied industries thereby creating employment opportunities, increasing our Gross Domestic Products (GDP), addressing the issues of youth restiveness and insecurity in the country.
They maintained that they would stop at nothing to protect their five million votes during the presidential poll in February this year.
“We would like to send out a strict warning to those who are trying to discredit the outcome of the presidential election, we are saying it loud and clear that we the artisans voted and contributed about five million votes to the presidential election and we are more than ready to defend our votes, elections have come and gone, and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu won fairly and squarely.”
They called on those aggrieved with the outcome of the general elections to explore lawful means to address their grievances rather than indulge in sowing the seeds of discord in the polity.
They recalled that five months ago, the leadership of the association took it upon themselves to converge over 5000 artisans and technicians nationwide for the sole purpose of publicly declaring support for Tinubu.
They noted that in light of the event, they launched the operation 30:30 in which all the artisans and technicians nationwide were tasked to mobilize 30 artisans per polling unit in the whole of the country.