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General News of Monday, 6 February 2023

Source: www.mynigeria.com

4 APC chieftains who have openly attacked Emiefele's new naira note policy

A photo collage of Ganduje, Fani-Kayode, Emiefele and Tinubu A photo collage of Ganduje, Fani-Kayode, Emiefele and Tinubu

Godwin Emefiele, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has come under intense scrutiny from Nigerians and the political class for his handling of the redesign, circulation, and accessibility of the new naira notes.

Recall that Emefiele instructed all commercial banks to extend the deadline for swapping the new naira notes to February 10 following its scarcity.

While the deadline is barely four days away, protests have erupted in different states in Nigeria over the failure of the various banks to make available the new notes to customers.

The protest in Ibadan is a case in point.

While the conversation on the new naira notes has taken center stage with 20 days to the election, Emefiele has appealed to Nigerians to show understanding adding that the redesigned notes would circulate and be accessible.

Mr Emefiele made the appeal at a special media briefing on the new naira notes, on Friday, in Lagos.

He noted he was seeing the protests and arguments surrounding the difficulty citizens were facing in accessing the new notes.

The governor had ordered banks to load their Automated Teller Machines with the new naira notes to ensure Nigerians had access to them.

Within his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), there have been claims that the new naira notes policy by Emefiele was to disrupt the chances of the party and Bola Ahmed Tinubu, its presidential candidate at the polls.

Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai is also amongst the other party chieftains who have alleged that there are elements within Aso Rock who will prefer victory for a different candidate aside Bola Tinubu.

In this article, we take a look at some top APC Chieftains that have criticized the new naira note policy and the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele

Bola Ahmed Tinubu - APC Presidential Candidate

The former governor of Lagos state is probably one of the most affected by the policy of the CBN. According to him, there was a plan to sabotage the coming election.

He, however, encouraged Nigerians to defy the fuel scarcity to exercise their franchise, stating that the poll would be a superior revolution.

Tinubu made this known during the APC presidential campaign held at the MKO Abiola stadium, Kuto, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

Speaking in Yoruba, the former Lagos State governor stated, “They don’t want this election to hold. They want to scuttle it. Will you allow them?”

He, however, encouraged Nigerians to defy the fuel scarcity to exercise their franchise, stating that the poll would be a superior revolution.

“They have started coming up with the issue of ‘no fuel’. Don’t worry, if there is no fuel, we will trek to cast the vote.

“If you like, increase the price of fuel, hide the fuel or change the ink on the naira notes, we will win the election. We will use our PVCs (permanent voter cards) to take over the government from them; if they like, let them say there is no fuel, we will trek there (polling booths).

“They are full of mischief, they want to create a fuel crisis, they have started creating a fuel crisis, but, forget about it, put your mind at rest, I’m assuring you. I, Asiwaju will end fuel scarcity.

“Let the price of fuel continue to increase, they are the ones that know where they are hoarding it. They are hoarding naira notes, they are hoarding fuel, we will vote and we will win.

“If you like, change the ink in the naira note, we will win the election, the opposition will be defeated.”

Adams Oshiomhole - Deputy Director General of Operations, APC

The former Governor of Edo State called out the CBN in a recent interview on Channels TV as he noted that the apex bank is not the institution charged with the responsibility of ensuring free, fair and credible elections.

"To assume that every Nigerian is corrupt and that this policy is meant to check corruption, the CBN is not part of the institutions charged with the responsibility of ensuring free, fair and credible elections, .... it is not only APC that will lose, everyone will lose."

Femi Fani-Kayode - Director of Special Media Projects & Operations & New Media, Tinubu/Shettima Pres. Campaign Council

The Director of Special Media Projects & Operations & New Media, Tinubu/Shettima Pres. Campaign Council, Femi Fani-Kayode said Nigerians said the move by the CBN was “a hidden agenda.”

According to him, Nigerians will not be able to get the new Naira notes until after the forthcoming 2023 general elections.

He said, “It will be very difficult for people to get the new naira notes till after the elections because there is a hidden agenda.

“This is what I see going on and I must tell you that I find questionable the policies of the governor of central bank as at today. I don’t question the policy itself; I question the timing of the policy.

People are suffering, people are going through hell, people can hardly achieve anything and I knew as far back as Christmas that this is what they were going to do,” he said.

According to Fani-Kayode, there are certain forces backing the CBN governor and these powers have been responsible for his recent actions.


Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje

According to Ganduje, the naira note policy implemented by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and its governor Godwin Emefiele is a way of fighting the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) after failing to pick its ticket.

The Governor emphasized that “The CBN Governor is only doing this to cause confusion in the forthcoming elections for no just reason.

“He has not been in a good mood for long because he failed to secure a Presidential ticket on the platform of our great party, the APC.”

He insisted that the Kano State government and the APC in the State were totally against the action of the CBN Governor.

“Currency redesign is done across the globe, but not in the way we are witnessing in our country. The timing is wrong, the deadline given is very wrong and deliberate,” he said.

He further stated that “we will summon bank managers very soon to interrogate the shortage of new Naira notes in banks.

“They should come over and explain to us why our people are still suffering over this issue of Naira swap. I will go to them individually to supervise what is happening and why.”

NBA