(Photo:Hunsu and Aremu,credit :nutgtwn.org)
The Textile Workers’ Union has commended President –elect Muhammadu Buhari and president Goodluck Jonathan “for their respective unprecedented statesmanship”.
A statement signed by Olade Hunsu , President, NUTGTWN and Issa Aremu, its General Secretary who doubles as Deputy President of Ajaero-led faction of NLC said , “We commend the new President-elect General Muhammadu Buhari and President Goodluck Jonathan for their respective unprecedented statesmanship and patriotism in accepting the outcomes of the elections adjudged to be largely credible.
“Both of them have shown that “change” and “continuity” are two good sides of democratic Nigeria. By embracing each other before, during and after the most competitive election both President Goodluck and General Buhari have shown that elections are contests NOT conquest! Indeed the close figures of 15,424,921 votes for winner General Buhari nationwide and 12,853,162 for the incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan points to democratic contest not conquest!
“Happily this is the fifth quadrennial election held since the end of military rule in 1999! This means commendably, Nigeria has sustained democratic political continuity for the past 16 years!”
The statement began thus “On behalf of the National Executive members of the National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN) we congratulate our members and all compatriot-Nigerians for the successful conduct of the 2015 Presidential Elections held on Saturday March 28, 2015. The credit goes to the 170 million Nigerians who as voters, monitors, INEC officials, security agents and prayer-warriors commendably made votes to count and elected new President and legislators.
The statement said “We commend the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) under the able leadership of Prof. Attahiru Jega for the conduct of the credible, free and fair elections.
“It is however not over until INEC consolidates on its gains in the last elections and minimizes its mistakes during the next governorship and states assembly elections. Given the increasing credibility of INEC, we support the recommendation of the National Confab that INEC Act be amended such that it also conducts local government elections as well as elections of non-state institutions such as Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
“We commend INEC in particular for resisting the attempts by some external forces to use national security apparatuses to undermine the last election collation process unlike what we experienced during the NLC rescheduled election held March 12th 2015.
According to the union “General Muhammadu Buhari’s victory must undoubtedly usher in new innovative policy changes, that must ensure prosperity in place of existing mass poverty. We however suggest that there must be continuity of some good labour market and industrial policies of Jonathan’s administration, such as freedom of association, right to unionization, unfettered collective bargaining and the new National Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP) and the national cotton, textile and Garment policy among others.
