The Association of Nigeria Artisans and Technicians (ASNAT) has expressed optimism of President Bola Tinubu’s reward and support for their loyalty and support in the last presidential election.
ASNAT is the umbrella body of all professional and certified artisans and technicians in Nigeria.
The National Coordinator of ASNAT, Mr Adeshina Akinyemi, said this in a statement on Tuesday in Lagos.
Akinyemi assured the members that Tinubu would not relent in rewarding them for their support to him and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Akinyemi also served as the National Director of the Directorate of Artisans and Technicians APC Presidential Campaign Council.
He said Tinubu’s policies and voyage of governance was using the right compass to navigate Nigeria out of its dwindling viruses.
“Fuel subsidy has to end! Either now, later, or in the future. Everyone knows that fuel subsidy was a saturated fraud! And, the President acted well when he stopped it immediately after he assumed office.
”The single exchange rate formulated and introduced by President Tinubu has raised prospects of fiscal and external improvements in the country’s credit profile.
”Though the achievements of these policies might not have started to improve our lives and living, but gradually, with patience, we will start gaining from them and enjoy the fruits of our patience.
”Government policies don’t bring instant benefits; it takes time to plant, watered, to sprout and bear fruits, most especially when things were very worst when this President took over the service of governance,” he said.
Akinyemi implored the members of ASNAT cut across 25 associations throughout the country to be patient with Tinubu and his young government.
According to him, the Renewed Hope understanding of the artisans and technicians was that their dreams, aspirations, needs and goals would be achieved and realised immediately after President Tinubu was sworn-in as the President.
”Some of us have worked with President Tinubu before, when he was Governor of Lagos State and still remember vividly how he developed and supported the artisans and technicians in Lagos State then.
”We believe he will repeat the same and even do much more better for us, as President of the whole nation.
”It was on the premise of that trust and confidence that made us design Operation 30:30, a strategic voting pattern adopted by all Nigerian Artisans/Technicians to mobilise 30 Artisans/Technicians per polling booth to vote for Asiwaju which was done across the entire 176,864 polling booths across the country.
”That was where we got the 5.3 million votes promised and delivered to the President.
”And, to our credit, we are the only Directorate out of all the Directorates set up by the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) that designed a pattern for our operations with a clear and sure expectant result,” he said.
He urged the members to be expectant and be patient with the government and President Tinubu, as he would not forget their gestures.
”I want to assure you that all our efforts and contributions as a group, as an association and as a Directorate in the PCC towards the success of his election will not go in vain.
”President Tinubu had promised to build the economy through the informal sector.
“Part of his reward plans for us is the recent partnership with the Bank of Industry to unveil a N75 billion, nine per cent interest rate loan, which will be made accessible to all Nigeria artisans/technicians and other entrepreneurs alike.
”Also is the N125 billion plan for MSME to ease this economic pain.
“We also have the Renewed Hope MSME programme, which is designed to provide interest and collateral-free loans to artisans and others in the MSME categories.
”There is also the Skill Up Artisans programme, which is designed to boost the competitiveness of Nigerian artisans/technicians in the global blue-collar workforce.
“This programme will provide opportunities for 14,000 of our members to travel to the United Arab Emirates for work and retraining,” Adeyemi said.
He said that the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) initiative of Tinubu’s administration was another big plan to reward the auto technicians members, as the programme planned to train one million members.
According to him, the bakers and caterers members will benefit massively from the N100 billion school feeding programmes recently signed and approved by the President.
”With all mentioned, it means and shows that this President has us in mind in his plans of governance. I am, therefore, very confident that he will surely do as he had promised.
”My fellow comrades, let us be steadfast and hopeful that this New Year will be a year of new beginning, prosperity, happiness, success, growth, and hope fulfillment for all Nigeria artisans and technicians. I wish you all a successful and a more prosperous New Year- 2024,” he said. (NAN
By Florence Onuegbu
