Follow Us on Google
From Adetokunbo Folasade-Koyi, Abuja
National Union of Blacksmiths and Tinkers Workers of Nigeria (NUBTWN) has endorsed APC presidential candidates and running mate, Bola Tinubu and Kashim Shettima as their preferred choice.
Its National Secretary, Ishaku Kontagorah, announced the endorsement on behalf of other members at a forum, yesterday, in Abuja.
The event was attended by blacksmithers across the 19 northern states and was organized by Project 774, a National Support Group for Tinubu’s presidential bid.
Ishaku said the union was established in 1987 to improve standard of production and has more than four million members in Nigeria, with experience in production of cutlasses, planting machines, holes, harrowing tools, fertiliser application machines, among other simple implements.
“Given the current development and support by the current government, the union is endorsing the candidacy of Tinubu and Shettima for the presidential election. This endorsement would ensure the APC government continue the good work started by President Muhammadu Buhari,” Ishaku said.
He said members of the union, who were blacksmiths and tinkers across the nation were satisfied with the antecedent of Tinubu and his agenda for Nigeria, especially his plan for a bottom up approach of development.
National Coordinator of Project 774, Senator Sabi Abdullahi, said the group would mobilise grassroots support for Tinubu and Shettima to deliver democracy dividends at the the local level.
Abdullahi expressed gratitude to members of the union for making the endorsement possible.
“We believe that the project 774 should be local, it should be butom up and our hope is to make sure we get to those who are affected with what ever we do in our government.”
The lawmaker said he had cause to engage with the blacksmithers and tinkers union through his empowerment scheme as representative of Niger North in the Senate.
“There is no village or market that you go to, that you not will see the blacksmiths or tinkers. And so, this group of people represent a part of our agriculture heritage and hence I did the empowerment. This informed their desire to stand with our presidential candidate Senator Tinubu who has shown tremendous interest in the development of this nation.”
