Blacksmiths, thinkers union endorse Tinubu, Shettima’s presidential ticket

By Usman Shuaibu

The National Union of Blacksmiths and Thinkers Workers of Nigeria (NUBTWN) has endorsed the candidacy of Senators Bola Tinubu and Kashim Shettima for the Feb. 25 Presidential election.

National Secretary of the union, Alhaji Ishaku Kontagora, announced the endorsement on behalf of other members at a forum in Abuja on Monday.

The forum attended by blacksmiths across the 19 northern states was organised by project 774, a National Support Group for Tinubu’s presidency.

Ishaku said the union was established in 1987 to improve standard of its production from old method to new technology to meet the demand of the nation.

According to him, the association has more than 4 million members in Nigeria, with experience in production of cutlasses, planting machines, holes, harrowing tools, fertilizer application machines and among other simple implements.

He said it was the vision of the union to be the formost technological producer and consistently offer services both locally and international by supplying quality products to practitioners in agriculture and other sectors.

He said given the current development and support by the current government, the union was endorsing the candidacy of Tinubu and Shettima for the presidential election.

He said the endorsement wound ensure the APC government continue the good work started by President Muhammadu Buhari.

He said members of the union, who were blacksmiths and thinkers across the nation were satisfied with antecedent of Tinubu and his agenda for Nigeria expecially his plan for a bottom up approach of development.

The National Coordinator of Project 774, Sen.Sabi Abdullahi said project 774 was designed to mobilise grass roots support for politics, to positively affect the local people.

According to him,project 774 for Tinubu and Shettima , which is a national grass root support group was designed to mobilise grass root support for Tinubu and Shettima.

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 butoom up and our hope is to make sure we get to those, who are affected with what ever we do in our government.”

Abdullahi said Nigeria and most part of the north was reputed for agriculture, adding that buck of the rural populace, who engage in agriculture can not do so without the tools produced by the blacksmithers.

“There is no village or market that you go to, that you not will see the blacksmith or the

Thinkers.

“This informed their desire to stand with our presidential candidate Sen.Tinubu who has shown tremendous interest in the development of this nation, and he does that via bottom top development process.”

He said Tinubu has demonstrated his bottom up development approach with what he has done in Lagos state, adding that his running mate Shettima has also shown knack to bring development from the bottom up approach.

Naira scarcity: Tinubu doesn’t have much money than Atiku - Osita Okechukwu

By Christiana Ekpa

Achieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Osita Okechukwu, has called on the APC governors to remain calm over the naira standoff between them and the Federal Government.

Osita made the appeal while fielding questions on Arise Television’s Morning Show programme on Monday.

The Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON) was reacting to Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai’s decision to kick against the new monetary policy by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

Recall that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had warned that old notes would no longer be accepted as legal tenders by February 10, 2023, a declaration that led to a suit at the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court had given an interim injunction against the CBN, halting the ban on old N200, N500 and N1000 notes after the February 10 deadline.

But President Buhari, during a national broadcast last Thursday, overruled the Supreme Court, insisting that the old N500 and N1000 notes were no longer legal tenders but extended the validity of only the old N200 notes.

However, El-Rufai, in an address to the people of Kaduna, emphasised that the old notes remain legal tender until the Supreme Court decides otherwise.

Speaking on the development, Osita insisted that Sunday’s meeting between Abdullahi Adamu, the national chairman of the APC, El-Rufai and other governors of the party had put everything to rest.

Osita said “National chairman of our great party have had a meeting with all of them [APC governors] yesterday and they have come to a middle ground, and also, listening to Mr President in faraway Ethiopia, I agreed he is aware of the hardship and feels it and he is trying to gather all necessary indicators to get it eased.

“So let’s not go too deep. I think yesterday’s meeting, which distinguished Senator Abdullahi Adamu, the national chairman of our party, conveyed, had put that to rest because far back in the United Nations General Assembly, Mr President had insisted that he wants to bequeath to Nigeria a legacy of a free and fair election.

“My only appeal to my governors is that nobody has more money for this election than Atiku Abubakar, but luckily, he has managed to keep calm, so if you are talking about money, I don’t think his Excellency Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has more money than Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.”

From Abubakar Yunusa Abuja

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PDP presidential candidate backtracks, says CBN naira redesign policy hurting ordinary citizens

From Abubakar Y Ojimaojo ABUJA

Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has appealed to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to allow commercial banks to accept deposits of the old naira notes.

Over two weeks ago, Atiku backed the currency redesign policy, advising the apex bank not to extend the February 10 deadline for the demonetisation of the old naira notes.

The former vice-president also said any further extension would destroy the purpose and objective of the policy.

“I am totally in support of building a cashless economy and reducing the amount of cash in our economy,” Atiku had said.

But in a social media post on Sunday, he called on the CBN to release the new notes as “a matter of urgency”.

This, he said, would ease the suffering of the masses in getting access to their “legitimately earned money”.

“The CBN currency policy is hurting ordinary citizens and those who legitimately earned their money,” Atiku said.

“The apex bank should, as a matter of urgency, allow commercial banks to join the CBN in the collection of the deposits of old N500 and N1000 notes.

“The new currency should be immediately made available in sufficient quantities to alleviate the suffering of the masses.

“I assure you that when we come to power by the mandate of your votes, the PDP administration will not allow any Nigerian who legitimately earned their money to lose a single kobo of it.