General Secretary, National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN), Comrade Issa Aremu, yesterday urged textile workers to vote only for candidates committed to sustainable industrial development and revival of industries.
Speaking at a press briefing to make the 40th anniversary of the union tagged ‘Repositioning Labour and Industry for the Next 40 Years’ in Kaduna yesterday, Aremu called on the Federal Government and the northern state governors to revive the Kaduna Textile Limited (KTL) and other textile companies in Kaduna which used to employ over 80, 000 Nigerians.
He asked the Federal and state governments to within the context of Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) urgently revive moribund Textile mills in particular and manufacturing industries in general.
Aremu said: “In 2019 elections, textile workers and indeed organized labour would only vote for candidates that are committed to sustainable industrial development and revival of industries because the industry is a key driver of sustainable jobs and development for national economies and the foundation of good living standards.
“It does not matter whether it is first industrial revolution, (Industry 1.0), Second Industrial Revolution (2.0) Third Industrial Revolution (Industry 3.0) or the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0), Nigerians must make what we wear such as clothes and textile, create jobs, save foreign exchange on imports and stop exporting raw cottons, crude oil, mineral resources, gold and diamond only to be importing finished goods from China, Europe and America.”
