Artisans in Kaduna have lamented the hardship experienced sequel to the lockdown order imposed by the state government to prevent the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.
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A cross section of the artisans who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Tuesday in Kaduna regretted the unfortunate outbreak of the COVID-19 in the state.
Skilled workers such as mechanics, carpenters and tailors prayed for government’s intervention to ameliorate their plight.
Mr Kayode Rasheed, an automobile mechanic at Sabo told NAN that since the inception of the curfew in Kaduna, it had been practically difficult for him to afford three square meal for his family let alone take care of other domestic demands.
“The nature of our job is such that, our daily bread depends on what we get daily at our places of work as the popular saying connotes.
“My work has been grounded in the past three weeks and you know what that means for a family of six.
“My condition is not much different from my colleagues because we cannot go to our workshop and even the two day grace period is as good as nothing,” he added.
Mr James Garba, a carpenter at Romi said business had been crawling even before the COVID-19 pandemic and got worse since the imposition of the curfew.
“Most youths engaged in handwork are now frustrated that we cannot access any kind of assistance from the government.
“We are subjected to untold hardship because there are no basic necessities of life at home yet the government wants us to remain at home,” he lamented.
Mrs Rabbi Aliyu, a tailor resident at Barnawa area of Kadunad, added that although some of her customer brought few clothes to be sown, it was nothing compared to having her shop opened.
“The situation is so bad that I am practically begging people through the social media to bring their clothes to my home.
“The Easter celebration is barely few days away and patronage this time is nothing to write home about,” she said.
Aliyu, however, urged the government to consider their plight particularly artisans by providing special palliative measure for them, to give them a sense of belonging.