Labour workers, Nigeria’s envoy to Brazzaville mourn ex-president Buhari

The National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN) and the Ambassador to the Republic of Congo Brazzaville, Her Excellency, Deborah S Iliya, have joined Nigerians and the rest of the world to mourn the passing of the immediate past President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari.

In a statement jointly signed by its President and General Secretary, Peters Godonu and Ali Baba, respectively and made available to newsmen in Kaduna on Thursday noted that the late President will be remembered by the workers as a leader who demonstrated clear commitment to decent work and job creation. 

The statement noted, “On behalf of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the union and the generality of our members, we wish to express our deep respect and heartfelt condolences to his family, the Daura Emirate Council, the government and good people of Katsina State, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR and the good people of Nigeria.

“We remember and honour President Buhari not only as a former Head of State but as a leader who demonstrated clear commitment to decent work, job creation, and industrial revival in Nigeria. 

“President Buhari’s administration recognized the importance of the manufacturing sector as a key driver of economic development. 

“He was the first President that commendably raised the prospects of reviving the labour-intensive textile industry to create mass decent employment. 

“During the 2015 presidential election campaign, he was perhaps, the only candidate that made textile revival a major campaign issue. At an audience with a delegation of foreign investors he said, ‘I have made a promise to Nigerians that jobs will be created as part of efforts to revive the economy and that promise will be fulfilled. 

According to the statement, Buhari had said, “We cannot allow industries and factories to close down. Instead, we should be making every effort to ensure that we re-open the closed ones and attract new ones to reduce unemployment.”

Continuing, the union stated that “As President of Nigeria, his policies and programmes laid a solid foundation for the revival of industries, particularly in the textile sector. His administration introduced a number of new measures aimed at the revival of textile industry. 

“First was putting in place comprehensive Cotton, Textile and Garment (CTG) policy which aims at reviving the entire value chains of cotton growing, ginneries, spinning and weaving, printing and garments production.

“We also recall his firm support for the Executive Order 003 on the use of local content in public procurement, which prioritised made-in-Nigeria products, including uniforms for military and paramilitary agencies,” the statement stressed. 

On her part, the Ambassador to the Republic of Congo Brazzaville, Deborah S Iliya, condoled the late Buhari’s beloved wife, A’isha, his children, his close associates, the Government and people of Katsina State, the Daura Emirate and indeed all Nigerians.

She said, “Late former president Muhammadu Buhari was our father, our leader, and the pride of the Nigerians. He lived a life of service, integrity, and sacrifice for the betterment of Nigeria.

“Buhari was a patriot, a soldier, a statesman. His legacy of service and sacrifice endure will be remembered. He served Nigeria with unwavering dedication.

“In this moment of national mourning, I prayed that God in his infinite mercy forgive his shortcomings and reward him Aljannatu Firdausi ameen.”

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