By Eben Enasco Kingsley, Benin City

The National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN) have endorsed Mr. Godwin Obaseki as the next Governor of Edo State to continue with the development strides of Governor Adams Oshiomhole.

Godwin Obaseki

General-Secretary of the Union, Comrade Issa Aremu, at the Annual National Education Conference of the union in Benin City, Thursday, said: “I want to say, I want to confirm, I want to reaffirm that Edo is working and Edo has worked.

“National Union of Textile Garment has affirmed, confirmed and reaffirmed continuity in Edo State and we have endorsed the candidature of Godwin Obaseki.”

Aremu said the Textile Workers’ Union aligns itself with President Muhammadu Buhari’s ‘Change begins with me’ but that the Government looks at resuscitating the textile factories to provide jobs for the teeming youths.”

On his part, Governor Adams Oshiomhole said Nigeria must continue to hold the PDP responsible for the failures and wastages of the past, saying “we can’t forget about yesterday.”

He said for the Textile industry to return to its past glory, there must be constant electricity for the industries to run, saying “Nigeria’s economy cannot compete for as long as it is generator-driven.”

He said the PDP left the power sector worse than they met it in 1999, adding that although the power sector is in good hands at present, but “the hands is not magical”, as such Nigerians should not expect an improvement in the power sector overnight.

He advised the NLC to unite and work together in the interest of workers and the ordinary Nigerian, saying “The NLC quarrel in Abuja is a luxury. Whether the election were perfect or not, nothing justifies the little quarrel we have in Abuja.”

He thanked the Tailoring Union for endorsing Obaseki, saying “I want to thank you for endorsing him. He has no choice but to sustain the tradition that he was a part of. Before we increased the minimum wage, he had to go, as chairman of the economic team, to look at the numbers, to look at what we needed to delete, they areas we needed to cut in order to find the revenue to sustain a higher minimum wage.”

Also speaking, the President of National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN) Comrade John Adaji commended Governor Oshiomhole for the enormous progress he has made in infrastructural development.

He said, “We are proud that the public critical acknowledgement of the enormous progress recorded in Edo under the watchful eyes of Comrade Adams in the development of education, infrastructure, road construction, reconstruction of hospitals and general improvement in the health infrastructure. In particular, we were deeply concerned about human capital development and the welfare of workers.

“His administration has not only continued to pay salaries as and when due but equally the first governor to single-highhandedly have the minimum wage adjusted to twenty-five thousand naira. We are glad that the Comrade has done well to justify the confidence of Edo people.”

Candidate of the All Progressives Congress who thanked the Textile and Garment Workers for the endorsement said, “I want to assure you that by the grace of God, I will not disappoint you.

“We see Edo as the next haven for the garment industry because we have laid the basis for industrialization. With gas and electricity available here, we are sure that Edo State will be the headquarters of the garment industry.

“As part of our micro-medium development fund, I am committing today that we will set aside a hundred million naira, not seventy-five and from Monday, I will want to have a meeting with whoever is in charge in the union so that we can commence the process of disbursement.”