…Says: “People’re not happy over lots of things including new naira notes scarcity”
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- Pix(above, L-R): PMB and Gov Ganduje
Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has confirmed that he sent a letter to the Presidency to seek the suspension of President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to the state for the commissioning of projects.
The president was expected to pay a one-day visit to the state on Monday, January 30, 2023.
However, the governor said because the present mood of citizens in the state is horrible on account of the endemic hardship in the country, arising from scarcity of virtually everything, including newly redesigned naira notes as well as fuel, a presidential visit to the state at this time is not advisable, to avert similar disgrace meted out to him during his working visit to his home state of Katsina on Thursday, during which they mercilessly booed him.
In his letter to the Presidency, Gov Ganduje, particularly harped on the president’s safety, noting that Kano and Katsina being two sides of a coin, a similar development is highly expected.
He made this known during interactive sessions with scholars, legislators, political leaders, and business community in the state at Government House, Kano, adding, particularly, that the decision was taken to avoid any unforeseen circumstance.
“As we are waiting for this important visit, we found ourselves in this situation, which puts citizens into untold hardship. For security purpose, we wrote to the Presidency that President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to Kano be postponed.
“We got an acknowledgment copy of the letter. People are really suffering because of this policy.
“There are no banks in most of our rural communities. How these people get new Naira notes is of great concern. Just look at what is happening in our urban areas, people go and spend hours upon hours in banks; and without any assurances of getting the new notes.”
Ganduje emphasized that Kano, being a commercial hub, must be heard loudly, insisting that, “this problem affects all of us.”
“Therefore, our voice must be heard in all nooks and crannies. We are a commercial hub. As such our position must be loud and clear,” he emphasized.
A statement thereafter issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Abba Anwar, said “during the meeting with sections of citizens in the state, they accepted the governor’s position,” adding that the decision was a unanimous one, as they all spoke in support of the letter sent to Presidency.
“Two serving Senators from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Kabiru Ibrahim Gaya, and Barau Jibrin; 20 members of House of Representatives and 30 legislators from the State House of Assembly were amongst the groups that put their weight behind the governor,” the CPS noted.
The State Online had earlier reported that President Muhammadu Buhari, on Thursday, received an unexpected shocker in his home state of Katsina when his statesmen turned against him, booing him mercilessly during a two-day state visit to inaugurate some projects executed by the state government.
Buhari’s first day in the state was heralded by a protest by youths who lamented hardship in the country, saying “this is not the ‘Se Baba’ we knew who fought for the interest of the common man.”
The youths staged the protest a few minutes after noon, shortly after the President had inaugurated the Kofar Kaura Underpass in Katsina, causing a commotion at the Kofar Kaura underpass where they threw stones at the crowd after Buhari had left the area.
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The State Online further reported that the boys also set up bonfires along the Yahaya Madaki Way, a few metres from the underpass, while shouting in Hausa: “We don’t need you anymore;’ ‘we’re not doing again; ‘bamuyi,’ ‘bamuyi’ (We are no longer interested.), our mumu don do, e don do.”
It took the intervention of the security which threw tear gas on them to temporarily disperse them, a situation which Gov Ganduje would not want to be repeated on his compatriots in Kano.
…As Buhari okays 10-day extension for phasing out old naira notes
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has approved a 10-day extension for Nigerians to swap their old N1000, N500 and N200 notes for the new ones.
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, revealed this to reporters after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in his Daura country home.
He said banks will continue to give out the new notes in exchange for the old ones till February 10, 2023.
The CBN Governor, who visited the President at about 11am, also said from February 10, Nigerians will have the grace of visiting the CBN to deposit their old notes for new ones for another seven days, which ends on February 17, 2023.
“We have today sought and obtained Mr. President’s approval for the following: one, a 10-day extension of the deadline from January 31, 2023, to February 10, 2023, to allow for collection of more old notes, legitimately held by Nigerians and achieve more success in cash swap in rural areas in our villages and communities, after which all old notes outside the CBN lose their legal tender status.
“Our CBN staff currently on mass mobilisation and monitoring, together with officials of the EFCC and ICPC, will work together to achieve these objectives in the coming days; “two, a seven-day grace period, beginning on February 10, to February 17, 2023, in compliance with Section 20, Subsection 3, and Section 22 of the CBN Act, allowing Nigerians to deposit their old notes at the CBN after the February deadline, when the old currency would have lost its legal tender status.
“We, therefore, appeal to all Nigerians to work with the Central Bank of Nigeria to achieve a hitch-free process for the implementation of this very important program,” he said.
According to him, 75 percent of the N2.7 trillion held outside the banking system has been recovered.
Emefiele said: “We are happy that so far, the exercise has achieved a success rate of over 75 per cent of the N2.7 trillion held outside the banking system.
“Nigerians in the rural areas, villages, the aged and vulnerable have had the opportunity to swap their old notes; leveraging the Agent Naira Swap initiative as well as the CBN Senior staff nationwide sensitization team exercise.
“Aside from those holding illicit/stolen naira in their homes for speculative purposes, we do aim to give all Nigerians that have naira legitimately earned and trapped, the opportunity to deposit their legitimately trapped monies at the CBN for exchange,” he emphasised./SHARE THIS
- Tags: Gov Abdullahi Ganduje, PMB, CBN Gov Godwin Emefiele