By Joy Odor
The Arewa Traders Association (ATA) has solicited the National Chairman, the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje’s support in providing good format for inclusion of Traders to the various governmental appointments and committees to contribute to the campaign activities of the party.
Even as the Association called on all State Governors to as a matter of urgency to look into traders activities which will stimulate economic activities and reduce hardship as well as general insecurity in the state.
Alhaji Hassan Ibrahim, the Chairman of the Association in his speech when he a led delegations across the 19 Northern States of Nigeria and the FCT to pay him a visit in Abuja on Tuesday, informed that the members are facing economic challenges due to COVID-19 pandemic, removal of fuel subsidy, high rate of exchange rate and insecurity in many parts of the country and plead for Ganduje’s assistance and intervention.
According to him, Arewa Traders Association support for Tinubu/Shettima has over 15 million members across the 19 northern states and the FCT, noting that the traders specialise in various types of trading activities that impact positively on the economic growth and the employment opportunities to the nation.
Alhaji Ibrahim informed that Arewa Traders Association is highly delighted to be part of APC projects and affirmed their total support as Ganduje strives to take APC to the next level.
“I am highly delighted and honoured to extend our sincere appreciation for the recognition you have always given to the Arewa Traders Association being an umbrella body for all legitimate traders across the 19 northern states of Nigeria and the FCT.
“Sir, Arewa Traders Association supports for President Bola Tinubu/Shettima project is for all legitimate Traders across the 19 Northern States and the FCT who have unanimously agreed and working day and night for the successful election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu/ Senator Kashim Shettima as well as all APC candidates across all levels.
“I sincerely appreciate you all. And our APC family for a well done job. Your Excellency, Arewa Traders Association is highly delighted to be part of this project you embark upon and we thereby affirm our total support as you have strive to take the APC to the next level.
“Your Excellency, we will like to make some appeal to you being a father and leader who always listen in understanding the feelings of the people especially when you were the governor of Kano State.
You are aware that members of this noble association are well educated in spheres of life and we constitute majority in our economic and political contribution. We will like you to use your good office to provide good format for inclusion of Traders to the various governmental appointments and the committees so that Traders will feel confident in the campaign activities for the party.
Sir, our members are facing economic challenges due to COVID-19 pandemic, removal of fuel subsidy, high rate of exchange rate and insecurity in many parts of the country. We are therefore appealing to you for your kind assistance and intervention.
I hope to call on all our governors to as a matter of urgency to look into traders activities which will stimulate economic activities and reduce hardship as well as general insecurity in the state.
At this juncture, I like to inform you that Arewa Traders Association support for Tinubu/Shettima has over 15 million members across the 19 northern states and the FCT. This traders specialise in various types of trading activities that impact positively on the economic growth and the employment opportunities to the nation.
“May Allah continue to support you and your administration in order to carry our party, the APC to the next level. We are sincerely grateful for your time and prat to Allah to grant you a successful tenure and the National chairman of our great party, APC. Thank you very much for your time” Ibrahim stressed.
In his response, the APC Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje assure the Arewa Traders Association of President Bola Tinubu assistant to provide an enabling environment for them to do legitimate activities in areas of security, maintaining that if there is no security, there will be no trade, no market and most importantly no feeding in Nigeria.
He commended the Association for their contribution during the electioneering campaign, especially on some of their publications for the party, saying APC cannot underestimate them in terms of moving the party to the next level.
“Abdullahi Umar Ganduje speech as he received a delegation of the Arewa Traders Association today at the Party’s National Secretariat. We thank you for your contribution during our electioneering campaign, especially on some of your publications for the party. And we cannot underestimate you in terms of moving our party to the next level because we cannot give an exact number of traders we have in Nigeria, or in Arewa as a geopolitical zone.
“All what we know is that you’re many, you are building and you have a multiplier effect in terms of improving the life of the people of Nigeria. Trading is a natural phenomenon in terms of economic development, everywhere you go there is trading, legitimate trading. We had your request that you would like to be involved, to participate in various aspects of governance in Nigeria, in particular, appointments, provision of a conducive environment for trading.
“l assure you Mr. President is providing an enabling environment for you to do your legitimate activities. He’s working very hard on the security of this nation, we all know how important security is to traders, because if there’s no security, there’s no trade, no marketing and most importantly no feeding.
“As you know and likely enough, you have a competent, Honorable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, the former governor of River state, Nyisom Wike who came from a big city himself, but has now gotten another mandate of administering another big city the Federal Capital Territory.
So I urge you to cooperate with him, so that he can creates a decent environment for commercial activities in the mega city of Abuja. Security is his number one program that he mentioned, and am sure he
will improve the transportation system of Abuja.
As traders you know how important transportation is in the city, he will improve the lighting of the city so that trading can take place at night, if there is light everywhere in Abuja. We thank you for coming, we have taken note of your request; we assure you as a political party, we will also involve you in our political party activities.
Although we have elections coming in November, Imo, Bayelsa and Kogi state, and in all these states there are traders. You will get the key to those traders so that they participate actively in the election” Ganduje said.
