ATAN President urge marketers to register ahead of 2023 general election

ATAN President urge marketers to register ahead of 2023 general election

By: Yahaya Wakili

The President Arewa Traders Association of Nigeria (ATAN), Alhaji Ibrahim Muhammed 86 has urged marketers especially northerners to come out and register their voters card ahead of 2023 general elections.

He said, in democracy only voters’ cards will make the difference and enable Nigerians to vote for a leader of their choice.

Alhaji Ibrahim Muhammed 86 made the appeal in a phone interview with the NEWSng, adding that, with the voters’ card Nigerians will be able to change the leadership and make choices they wanted.

According to him, “since I was sworn-in as a president of this association eight months ago, what I did first is to unite our members. Also my administration leading nineteen states in northern Nigeria and Abuja means more work for us in shaping this association to where we want it to be.

“We must embrace unity. That is my goal! We must make our members understand that we are the marketers before we are living quietly and allowing things to go the way they are in politics but now we want to speak with one voice and be heard.

“My appeal to marketers therefore is to know that things have changed.  Everything unless we unite ourselves first before we can achieve our goal. Therefore, let us be united and this association will have the voice to be heard in today’s political arrangement in Nigeria. The political cloud is for those who speak with one voice.” He said

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Ibrahim Muhammed said the economy of every country has been affected by the pandemic. “In Nigeria, the government of President Muhammadu Buhari assisted the people to cushion the effect of the pandemic. But this assistance did not get to us because we are not organized as such there is the need for us to go with development as they happened so that we can be carried along.”

He observed that there are so many things that are the right for marketers but members will not get it because of lack of proper organization as such their portion will go to greedy government officials, who always cash in on such gaps.

Alhaji Ibrahim Muhammed therefore called on governments both federal and states to assist the marketers by properly informing them and educating them on policies and programmes that will be of benefit to them. “If government assists marketers the economy will grow because by the time marketers get problems, the nation’s economy will have problems too.  Marketers also must understand that they have powers to control the economy just as the government has the power of controlling the pushers of the economy. “

He said when marketers don’t have capital to roll in the market, idleness or frustration breeds terrorism. Therefore there is a need for the government to come in and assist marketer who in turn will engage the army of jobless youths and thereby reduce the risk of youths joining bad groups.

While commending the  Yobe state government for a plan to give #450 million naira to 150  marketers as a loan in the state, he said this move deserves commendation and urged other northern governors to emulate Buni’s style in Yobe state.

ATAN President urge marketers to register ahead of 2023 general election