By Saxone Akhaine (Kaduna) and Ahmadu Baba Idris (Birnin Kebbi)
Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) has sought sanction against banks hoarding the new naira notes, even as it commended President Muhammadu Buhari and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, for extending the deadline of the currency swap.
In a statement by its Secretary General, Willy Ezugwu, the group urged the apex bank to ensure that commercial banks do not hoard the new notes henceforth, calling on security agencies to immediately swing into action, “as a matter of patriotic duties to ensure that the new notes do not find their way into bullion vans belonging to some politicians and their allies.”
IN the interim, Arewa4Asiwaju has commended presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, for speaking against the January 31, 2023 deadline initially set naira swap in the country.
It noted that the ‘Abeokuta declaration’ of the former Lagos State governor compelled the Federal Government to extend the exercise to February 10 and “saved the nation from going up in flames due to the raging public anger that pervaded the atmosphere prior to the extension.”
The group, while attributing the sudden 10-day extra time to what it called Tinubu’s sagacity and courage, observed: “It was this courage and purposeful leadership shown by Asiwaju that compelled the government to go back on its earlier no-going-back stance.”
In a statement by its North Central Coordinator, Aliyu Musa Pass, the organisation stated: “Whether anyone wants to believe it or not, it is the courageous sagacity displayed by Tinubu that invariably saved the Nigerian commoner from suffering the pains of the initial timeline set by the Federal Government for the unpopular new currency swap.
“Tinubu, proving himself a great statesman, in his now famous ‘Abeokuta declaration’, took the bold and necessary step of alerting to the dangers inherent in the new naira policy, its timing and deadline.
“Apparently rattled, the President invited Asiwaju to Daura, where the man stood his ground, insisting the policy was unnecessary, unpopular and would only harm the common man and lead to greater conflict.
“The nation certainly owes Tinubu immense gratitude for stepping in and risking everything to save an obvious bad situation.”
BESIDES, Kebbi State APC chieftain, Alhaji Kabiru Sani (aka Giant), has urged President Buhari to sack Emefiele for “causing hardship in the country.”
Addressing newsmen, yesterday, in Birnin Kebbi, Sani, who is also National Coordinator of APC Ahmed Bola Tinubu S7-4-BATs 2023 campaign train, accused the CBN governor of “collaborating with the opposition parties to sabotage efforts of this present administration, most especially on the current issue of redesigned new naira note.”
He said Emefiele’s decision was to “cause hardship in the country and pave way for opposition parties to win the forthcoming general elections.”
Source: The Guardian
