The Central Bank of Nigeria had debunked media reports that the Nigeria Security Printing and Minting Company lacks the capacity to print new naira notes.
The bank in a statement signed on Saturday, February 11, 2023 by its Director of Communications, Osita Nwanisiobi stated that the CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele was misquoted in the said reports.
The bank also denied reports that it wants to close some deposit money banks in Nigeria over their inability to dispense new naira notes amid a cash crunch in the country.
The statement said: “The attention of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has been drawn to a misleading report misquoting the Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, as attributing the current challenge in the distribution of the newly redesigned naira banknotes to a shortage of printing materials at the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company Plc.
“We wish to state categorically that at no time did the CBN Governor disclose this during his presentation to the National Council of State at its meeting on Friday, February 10, 2023.
“For the records, what Mr. Emefiele told the meeting was that the NSPMC was working on printing all denominations of the Naira to meet the transaction needs of Nigerians.
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“For the avoidance of doubt, the CBN remains committed to performing its monetary policy functions, as stipulated in the CBN Act, 2007, as amended. We also wish to restate that the NSPMC has the capacity and enough materials to produce the required indent of the Naira.
“The Bank, therefore, wishes to appeal to the public to disregard the said report and exercise more restraint, even as we work assiduously to increase the circulation of the new notes in the country.
“Similarly, there is a misleading voice note trending on social media alleging that the CBN planned to shut down some banks, particularly in a particular geopolitical region.”
Niger State government has filed a lawsuit against the Federal Government of Nigeria over the naira redesign policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) at the Supreme Court.
A statement by Justice Nasara Danmallam, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, in Minna on Saturday, said the case was filed with suit number SC/CV/210/2023.
This development joined the series of suits filed by five other state governments— Kaduna, Kogi, Zamfara, Ondo, Kano, controlled by the All Progressives Congress (APC), against the Nigerian government following the announcement of the naira redesign policy by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Danmallam in the statement said the Niger State government was seeking for an extension of the timeframe given by the CBN for the currency swap and withdrawal from circulation of old N200, N500 and N1,000 amongst other reliefs.
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The statement branded the timeframe as unreasonable and argued it was in violation of section 13, 14 (2) (b), 17 (1) (c) of the 1999 Constitution as amended.
In the affidavit in support of the originating summons filed at the Supreme Court, the Niger government maintained that the unavailability of the new redesigned notes had caused untold hardships and sufferings on the inhabitants of the state, especially those living in rural areas across the state.
The statement lamented the inconveniences occasioned by the redesigned Naira policy, saying that the government would continue everything within its constitutional limit to cushion their sufferings
The Central Bank of Nigeria may bow to mounting pressure and contract the printing of the redesigned N1,000, N500 and N200 notes to foreign contractors in the coming days in order to boost the circulation of the currency.
Saturday PUNCH gathered that this had become imperative as sources said the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Plc, which had been responsible for the printing of the naira, appeared to lack the capacity to meet the demand for the new notes.
This is as the National Council of State advised the apex bank to print more naira notes or re-circulate the old notes, which it had mopped up from circulation, in order to ease the pressure on hapless Nigerians, who had been suffering from the scarcity of the new notes.
A top banker told one of our correspondents on Friday that information available to him indicated that the Mint had succeeded in printing N500bn worth of the new N1,000, N500 and N200 notes and might not have the capacity to do more than that at the moment.
The top banker, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the subject and because he had not been authorised to speak officially on it, said, “It is obvious that what has been printed is not enough. How can you withdraw about N2.1tn from circulation and only print N500bn to replace that?
“Is it not obvious that the NSPMC does not have the capacity to print more than N500bn? With the Mint’s current capacity, to print N2tn will take about a year. Even the N500bn printed has been hijacked by politicians, especially governors. You heard one governor saying one of his colleagues was able to withdraw N500m.
“What the CBN is doing is to give us only 10 per cent of the worth of the old notes we deposit with it. For instance, if a bank takes N1bn to the CBN branch office in its area of operation, it will be given N100m new notes to distribute to its branches nationwide and load onto its ATMs.”
A former top official of the CBN, who spoke to Saturday PUNCH anonymously, echoed a similar sentiment that the Mint might not have the capacity to print more naira notes and that could be responsible for the scarcity of the notes.
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The ex-CBN official said, “I think it is a matter of capacity on the part of the Mint. The NSPMC has been solely responsible for the printing of the local currency and its role wasn’t an issue before now because it periodically printed notes, which the CBN released into the system along with those already in circulation. Only mutilated notes were withdrawn by the apex bank and destroyed.
“As it is now, the CBN may have little or no choice but to contract the printing of the new N1,000, N500 and N200 notes to foreign contractors in order to make the new notes go round the country quickly and save the nation the embarrassment caused by the current scarcity and its attendant consequences.”
Efforts to get a response from the CBN through its Director of Corporate Communications, Osita Nwanisobi, were futile as calls made to his mobile telephone did not connect, while he had yet to respond to WhatsApp messages sent to him.
However, an official of the CBN, who pleaded that his identity should be concealed, said there was no problem with the supply of the new notes by the NSPMC, adding that it was a deliberate policy to print limited amounts in order to encourage Nigerians to embrace other means of transaction other than cash.
“We don’t have an issue with what the Mint is doing regarding the printing of the new naira notes. There is no problem with the mint’s capacity. The fund it has expended so far on the printing of the new N1,000, N500 and N200 notes is its budget for the fourth quarter of last year.”
When a telephone number listed on the website of the NSPMC was called on Friday, it rang out. A message sent to the same number had not been replied as of the time of filing this report.
The NSPMC stated on its website, “The MINT has been in charge of the production of local currency notes since they were introduced in 1965. It does this on behalf of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
“For decades, the MINT has produced Nigeria’s naira notes. The notes are among the most secure in the world, with features that are almost impossible to replicate outside of our production systems.”
The CBN had stated in December that it spent over N800bn between 2017 and 2021 to maintain the naira. The apex bank’s Deputy Governor, Financial System Stability, Aisha Ahmad, who appeared before the House of Representatives, added that the amount had spiked by N10bn annually and attributed over 90 per cent of the currency management cost to the production of naira notes.
Council advises Buhari Meanwhile, the National Council of State on Friday in Abuja advised the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), and the Governor of the CBN, Godwin Emefiele, to either intensify the printing of new naira notes or re-circulate the old ones to ease the hardship being faced by Nigerians.
The country’s highest advisory organ also insisted that the general elections should hold as scheduled based on the readiness of the Independent National Electoral Commission and the Nigeria Police Force.
The Governor of Taraba State, Darius Ishaku, revealed this to State House correspondents at the end of the four-hour hybrid meeting of the council held at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.
Ishaku said, “What took more time was the monetary issue because of the hardship caused by money in circulation across all the whole states. In the beginning, people resisted it, even though it was good, but generally, it’s accepted.
“The primary complaint from all the states or most of the speakers is that of implementation. And so many views were proferred, particularly the CBN governor; he looked into making sure that the new money was available in quantum.
“There were suggestions to the effect that if the new money is not in circulation or printing is difficult, then the old money that hasn’t been changed could be re-circulated and pumped into circulation to ease the tension, particularly for the poor people in our society, who just need a little sum of money to buy their food, drugs and daily needs.”
On his part, the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, said having been briefed by the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, the Inspector-General of Police and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, the council agreed that the February 25 and March 11 elections should hold as scheduled.
The AGF stated, “The two significant resolutions that were driven, arriving from the deliberations of the council, are one, that we are on course as far as elections are concerned and we are happy with the level of preparation by INEC and other institutions.
“Two, relating to the naira redesigned policy, the policy stands, but then the council agreed that there is a need for aggressive action on the part of the central bank as it relates to the implementation of the policy by way of ensuring adequate provision being made with regard to the supply of the naira in the system.”
He also argued that although the implementation of the February 10 deadline for the naira swap was currently in court, it did not stop the government from taking steps when necessary.
Malami said, “The matter with particular regard to the redesign of the currency is a judicial matter, having been taken to the Supreme Court by some of the governors. That matter is being considered for determination by the Supreme Court.
“But notwithstanding the fact that the matter is in court, it is not out of place for the parties, particularly the parties of interest, to consider and do the needful if the need arises, which may eventually translate into either the discontinuance, or the action, or perhaps filing of the terms of settlement or reconsideration.”
He added that after the CBN governor’s presentation, council members proffered solutions, which at the time of the briefing, were being “considered by the President with a comprehensive look of the judicial issues.”
When asked by our correspondent about the President’s response to the council’s suggestions, the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said it would be up to Buhari to decide soon.
Sanwo-Olu said, “Like it has been said, they were all advisory and notes were taken. And he (Buhari) retired back to his office. And I think with all the advice given; the executive knows what to do.
“I think as we move on, Mr President will make known his thoughts to the nation.”
The Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, who spoke with journalists shortly after the meeting, insisted that there was no need to rush in implementing the new naira policy.
He said other economies globally had transitioned into new notes within a year.
Lawan stated, “For us in the Senate, we initially felt that this policy was not a bad one.
“But we also feel that there is no need for the time limit. Allow the old and the new notes to co-exist until the old is phased out. What is wrong with that?
“Other countries have been doing the same thing. When Britain redesigned its currency, it took over a year to change and the validity of the old as a legal tender remained, so why ours? We are not cashless yet. That society is cashless already and they needed even more time.”
The meeting was the first this year and the last before the general elections.
Present at the meeting were former Heads of State, Generals Yakubu Gowon and Abdulsalami Abubakar; and former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo joined the meeting virtually as only about 14 governors were present physically and virtually with some represented by their deputies.
Also present were Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and two former Chief Justices of Nigeria, among others.
The Council of State is an organ of the Federal Government, which advises the executive on key policies.
Related News Cash shortage exposes e-payment channels’ weakness, says ICAN Corrupt politicians angry with new naira policy – Secondus Naira, fuel scarcity: PoS operators, petrol attendants feast on citizens’ miseries It comprises the President as the chairman, the Vice President as deputy chairman, all living former Presidents and Heads of State, President of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives, all the 36 state governors and the AGF.
Cash scarcity persists In Abuja, all the banks along Airport Road did not dispense cash to customers on Friday through their Automated Teller Machines.
The banking halls were also filled to the brim with customers in queues to withdraw N5,000, which was the highest amount that the banks could pay over the counter.
At Stanbic IBTC, only in-house customers were granted access to the banking hall as the bank’s ATM was closed.
At Zenith Bank, security officials were made to perform the jobs of bankers, as they gave relevant forms at the gate to customers in order to reduce the pressure on the overcrowded halls.
When queried on the maximum withdrawal limit, officials of the banks said N5,000 was being paid in N50 bill.
On the old notes, an official who preferred anonymity, said banks were no longer disbursing them.
He added that the grace period of seven days was still in place for anyone who had not returned them to the bank, even though there were no new notes to swap.
One of our correspondents, who visited some banking halls and ATM galleries in the Lugbe area of Abuja, observed that the banks were not dispensing cash to customers over the counter.
The financial institutions claimed that they did not have cash to dispense to the multitude that besieged their outlets.
At the UBA banking hall, customers were seen depositing old notes. The banking halls and ATMs of Polaris Bank, Fidelity Bank and Wema Bank were not dispensing cash to customers over the counter.
Their ATM galleries were clustered by customers waiting to withdraw the new naira notes.
Bank branches monitored in the Ikeja area of Lagos recorded heavy turnout of desperate customers, who besieged the ATM galleries and banking halls.
Rowdy scenes were witnessed at UBA, First Bank, Union Bank and Zenith Bank on Oba Akran Road, Ikeja, and Ogba areas.
At the UBA branch in Ibafo, Ogun State, customers expressed relief that the lender had reopened after some days of closure following attacks on some bank branches in the state. They, however, lamented their inability to withdraw money without stress as the queue of ATM users spilled outside the gallery.
A bank manager on Victoria Island, Lagos, told Saturday PUNCH that the bullion van team had been in the CBN office in Marina since the early hours of the day and had not been given new notes, adding that there was no improvement in money supplied to the branch.
The manager said, “There is so much uncertainty. We have not heard from the CBN regarding the deadline for the old notes, which expires today (Friday). The Supreme Court order has complicated matters. Surprisingly, depositors, whom we had been appealing to before now, have been trooping to the banking hall to deposit their old notes.
“Since our branch is not in a residential area, the head office directed that some of the cash meant for us should be taken to our branches on the mainland and Ajah in order to reduce the pressure on those branches and prevent attacks by angry customers.”
Kano sues FG Meanwhile, the Kano State Government has filed a suit against the Federal Government at the Supreme Court in respect of the naira redesign policy of the CBN.
In suit number: SC/CS/200/2023, the Attorney-General of the state, through his counsel, Sunusi Musa (SAN), asked the apex court to declare that the President could not unilaterally direct the CBN to recall the N200, N500 and N500 old bank notes without recourse to the Federal Executive Council and the National Economic Council.
The state prays for a mandatory order seeking the reversal of the policy for affecting the economic well-being of over 20 million Kano residents.
The applicant is also seeking a mandatory order compelling the Federal Government to reverse the naira redesign policy for allegedly failing to comply with the 1999 constitution as amended.
Ondo joins suit Similarly, the Ondo State Government has filed a suit against the Federal Government at the Supreme Court over the policy.
It filed a separate application to join the suit earlier instituted by the Zamfara, Kaduna and Kogi state governments at the apex court on the deadline issued by CBN on the swapping of old naira notes for the new notes.
The Ondo State Government asked the apex court to stop the implementation of the policy.
In an originating summon filed and signed by the Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General of the state, Mr Charles Titiloye, the government asked the Supreme Court to stop the implementation of the directive issued by the Federal Government through the CBN on limitation of daily cash withdrawal from banks, which it said had totally paralysed its activities and adversely affected economic and commercial activities in the state.
A statement issued by the Special Assistant to the Attorney-General, Kola Adeniyi, said, “The Ondo State Government contended that the guideline on daily maximum cash withdrawal made by the Federal Government is an infraction on the legal rights of the Ondo State Government and its citizens to access funds for the execution of developmental projects, small credit facilities to petty traders (who have no accounts in banks) and highly detrimental to daily commercial activities in the state.
“The Ondo State Government urged the Supreme Court to declare that the Federal Government cannot by directive issued through the Central Bank of Nigeria amend or vary an existing Act of the National Assembly, particularly Section 2 of the Money Laundering Act, which relates specifically to limitations on cash withdrawals for individual and corporate organisation to N5m and N10m, respectively. The updated guidelines issued by the CBN now place maximum withdrawals for individual and corporate organisations at N500,000 and N5m, respectively.
“The Ondo State Government is asking the Supreme Court to decide whether the guidelines issued by the Federal Government on the maximum daily cash withdrawal and the continuous suffering and hardship caused by the implementation of the said policy is not in conflict with the express provision of Section 2 of the Money Laundering Act, and sections 20, 39 and 42 of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act.
“The Ondo State Government averred that while it has more than 149 ministries, departments and agencies to run on a daily basis in a state with more than three million people, less than 500,000 people have bank accounts through which bank transfers can be made. Consequently, the policy of the Federal Government has totally paralysed the economy of the state.
“The Ondo State Government averred that the citizens of Ondo State now spend precious hours at bank ATMs waiting to collect the new naira notes, while citizens in the rural areas and villages without banks and Internet facilities had been shut out from receiving or transferring money to meet their daily economic needs.”
The government urged the apex court to intervene and stop further implementation of the policy.
Policy ill-timed – Ganduje Meanwhile, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State, on Thursday, met with bank managers, representatives of the CBN, security agencies and other stakeholders at an interactive session.
This was contained in a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Abba Anwar, on Friday.
The meeting, according to Anwar, took place at Africa House, Government House, Kano.
“The policy is a good one, but the implementation is poorly executed and ill-timed. The poor implementation is either a display of incapacity and/or as a sign of sabotage,” Anwar quoted Ganduje as saying.
The governor said the implementation of the policy was not aimed at economic development, but for destroying democracy and causing confusion.
Ganduje was quoted as saying, “Implementation of the policy is our major concern and problem. Not the policy itself. If you want to implement such a policy, there is a need for you to make public enlightenment and engagement with stakeholders before you arrive at the implementation stage.
“If you want to implement any policy as a leader, you need to take many things into consideration. People are suffering.
“You cannot successfully implement a policy without properly planning for it. You need strong institutions if you want to implement this kind of policy.”
He added, “Probably, the people targeted by the poor implementation of this policy are not even suffering like other citizens. Something must be done to ameliorate this hardship being faced by our people.
“Since we are facing what I now call COVID-23, we are making all preparations towards distributing palliatives again.”
Pastor Peters Omoragbon, a former governorship candidate of the National Conscience Party (NCP) in Edo State has called for the immediate sack of the Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele.
He said “If you ask me, I would advocate that the CBN governor, Mr Emefilele be sacked with immediate effect for his shoddy handling of the entire exercise.”
Omoragbon who made the call during a chat with the media in Lagos on Thursday, stated that Emefiele was the worst Central Bank governor in the history of Nigeria, and therefore called on President Muhammadu Buhari to sack him over the shoddy manner he handled the issue of new naira notes introduction.
He said the claim that the policy was targeted against the politicians could not fly because the politicians were not suffering the effect of the naira swap, rather it was the already impoverished masses who were bearing the brunt.
“Today, how many elites including the politicians are suffering from the effect of this anti-people policy? None! It is the masses that are going about naked and mentally traumatised that are suffering today.”
Read also:Nigerian govt orders oil marketers to accept bank transfer, PoS transactions as naira scarcity bites hard
Omoragbon also noted that by the poor handling of the new naira notes, Emefiele had brought untold hardship to the people of Nigeria and bad image not only to Muhammadu Buhari, but also the entire ruling class.
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“For his shoddy handling of the entire exercise he has brought untoward embarrassment to President Buhari and his team and untoward hardship to the citizens of Nigeria.”
The Edo born politician said that as good as the intentions of the currency policy might have appeared, the timing was and is very bad. “Let me express my disappointment in the wisdom and timing behind the currency swap by the government.
“As good as the intentions might appear, the timing was and is very bad. You do not execute a policy with a predetermined subjective mind-set in the garb of fighting corruption whereas, it is achieving the exact opposite,” Omoragbon stated
The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, on Thursday promised to supply commercial banks with plenty of funds to address the new Naira note scarcity in Kogi State.
Kogi CBN Branch Controller, Ahmed Sule, made the vow while speaking with NAN in his office in Lokoja.
Recall with 𝕹𝖔𝖇𝖑𝖊 𝕽𝖊𝖕𝖔𝖗𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘 𝕸𝖊𝖉𝖎𝖆 that protesters had on Wednesday picketed some commercial banks over purported non-compliance with the apex bank’s directive to make the new notes available to citizens across the nation.
According to Sule, the scarcity of the new Naira might have resulted in some commercial banks not opening for customers on Wednesday and Thursday.
He said, “I wish to announce to you that we’re expecting our stock of the New Naira notes very soon for distribution to the commercial banks operating here in Kogi.
“We’re aware of the difficult times our fellow citizens are in right now, and we expect the [commercial] banks to help ameliorate the people’s sufferings by dispensing as we so directed them.
“We’ll soon invite them [commercial banks] to come for their allocations as we’re expecting it today, being Thursday.
Foremost human rights activist, Femi Falana, SAN, has disclosed why the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, must comply with the Supreme Court order regarding the currency swap crisis.
Falana, in a statement on Thursday, said the apex bank should not fall for the reports and opinions indicating that it could ignore the Supreme Court’s judgement restraining it from enforcing the ban on the old Naira notes.
In his statement titled, “Why CBN Must Obey Ex Parte Order Of Supreme Court”, he highlighted many cases supporting the court’s decision.
He asked CBN and its management to allow the judgement to run its entire course in the interim, pending an order of dismissal filed by the Federal Government.
Falana warned doing otherwise would spell doom and chaos for the country.
“In the interim, the Federal Government of Nigeria and its agencies, including the Central Bank of Nigeria, are bound by the valid and subsisting ex parte order of the Supreme Court of Nigeria until it is set aside by the same court. The alternative is to compound the ongoing anarchy and chaos in the land,” he said
The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has applauded the Supreme Court over its ruling which temporarily stopped the Federal Government from ending the use of the old naira notes as legal tender on February 10.
Supreme Court on Wednesday restrained the federal government and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from effecting the February 10 deadline for withdrawal of the old banknotes from circulation.
The apex bank delivered the ruling on an application filed by Governors Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), Yahaya Bello (Kogi), and Bello Matawalle (Zamfara).
In the ruling, the seven-member panel of the Supreme Court led by Justice John Okoro held that the old Naira notes would remain legal tender until the determination of the suit on February 15.
Wike, who spoke at the Rivers Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) campaign rally held at County State School in Emilaghan, Abua/Odual local government area of the state, said the ruling would save the masses of the country, and promised to join the suit challenging the CBN’s policy.
He said: “I want to on behalf of the Rivers State government commend the Nigerian Supreme Court for what they have done today to save the masses of this country and to save democracy.
“Today, the Supreme Court has restrained the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from embarking on stopping the old Nigerian Naira notes from circulating.
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“And let me commend my brother states — Kogi, Kaduna, and Zamfara — who took it upon themselves to go and challenge the federal government at the Supreme Court.
“I also want to say that the Rivers State government will join them in that suit to challenge what the CBN is doing. We will not support anything that will go against the masses, anything that makes the masses suffer.
“I have said before, this democracy can only survive with the support of INEC, security agencies, and the judiciary. With what happened today, the supreme court has shown that the hope of the common man lies in the judiciary.”
Twenty-four hours to the deadline set by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, for the swap of the old naira notes, there is a high level of anxiety across the country.
The Supreme Court had on Wednesday temporarily halted the move by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to ban the use of the old naira notes from February 10, 2023.
A 7-member panel led by Justice John Okoro halted the move while ruling in an ex-parte application brought by three northern States of Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara.
The three States had specifically applied for an order of Interim Injunction restraining “the federal government through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) or the commercial banks from suspending or determining or ending on February 10, 2023, the time frame with which the now older version of the 200, 500 and 1,000 denomination of the naira may no longer be legal tender pending the hearing and determination of their motion on notice for interlocutory injunction”.
Moving the application on Wednesday, counsel to the applicants, Mr A. I. Mustapha, SAN, had urged the apex court to grant the application in the interest of justice and the well-being of Nigerians.
He stated that the policy of the government has led to an “excruciating situation that is almost leading to anarchy in the land.”
The ruling has since generated mixed reactions from across the country.
While some citizens, including the camp of the APC Presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu are hailing the ruling, others have asked President Muhammadu Buhari to override it with an executive order.
Few hours after the ruling, the Governor of the CBN, Godwin Emefiele met with President Buhari at the Aso Rock Villa.
Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN, has already filed processes challenging the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court to suspend the scheduled deadline.
Malami, in a preliminary objection he filed on behalf of the Federal Government, applied for an order striking out the suit that three Northern States filed to halt the full implementation of the new monetary policy that was introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.
He is the sole defendant in the suit marked: SC/CV/162/2023, where he applied for its outright dismissal on the basis that the three States lacked the locus-standi.
Listing his grounds for challenging the power of the Supreme Court to intervene in the matter, Malami accused the three States of opposing FG’s power, through its agency, the CBN, to withdraw old banknotes and introduce new ones.
Nigerians are anxiously awaiting the next step of the CBN, especially with the deadline ending on Friday, February 10, just as President Buhari had earlier asked for one week to take a major decision on the matter one way or the other.
Speaking to 𝕹𝖔𝖇𝖑𝖊 𝕽𝖊𝖕𝖔𝖗𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘’ known Media on Wednesday, the Head of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Digital Media, Barrister Tony Ehilebo claimed of a certain intelligence that the ruling party, All Progressives Congress, APC, is planning to swap N21 billion it had set out for vote-buying.
He, however, said that the efforts of Governor Nasir El-Rufia of Kaduna State and his cohorts to stop the CBN policy will fail because the States lacked such powers.
He alleged that, “The intelligence reaching us is that the APC, especially in States that they control are using the instrumentality of the State government and trying to swap N21 billion.
“We don’t know if this has gone through or if it has happened but we have raised all the necessary alarms.
“These are the questions we should be asking. We expect that the NFIU which has direct access to any suspicious cash transaction should be on top of its job.
“I’m one of the advocates, one of the drafters of the creation of the National Financial Intelligence Unit Bill and I expect it to live up to expectation, which is why I don’t have any problem with the CBN policy.
“It may not even favour the PDP as far as I’m concerned but it is in the best interest of Nigeria. We’ll really like whoever Nigerians want, which I believe is the PDP at this point in time.”
Speaking further on the recent Supreme Court injunction, he added, “It is a normal procedure of the court. When you run to the court with the cry that lives are being affected, it is the Court’s duty to first intervene and then bring all parties to the table and provide opportunity for response.
“That is why injunctions only have a lifespan of seven days at most. However, I suspect that this will be reversed. If you notice, it was given on 7th and it expires on 15th and that is when the hearing proper is.
“If I were the CBN, on the 15th I’ll carry on with that policy. Of course, the CBN is legitimately carrying out its function and I don’t think the States have any say whatsoever to impede on functions that are constitutionally guaranteed by the banks and other financial institutions’ acts.
“The CBN is guaranteed to be independent of the judiciary and free from the encumbrance of people like El-rufai and his cohorts.”
But reacting to the allegations of planning to buy votes and rig the forthcoming election, Comrade Okpokwu Ogenyi, Convener, Concerned APC Members and member APC Presidential Campaign Council and Civil Society Directorate, wondered why the APC whose government introduced the BVAS and signed the Electoral Act 2022 into law, should be the one being accused of planning to rig elections.
Speaking to 𝕹𝖔𝖇𝖑𝖊 𝕽𝖊𝖕𝖔𝖗𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘’ known Media, he said, “Yes. Some members of my party are in court to challenge the policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria and some of the reasons they gave were very clear.
“El-Rufia made it clear that in the entire Borno State, it is only two local governments that banks are operating.
“The same in Yobe State. He said that he was campaigning against the effect of the policy on the people. He even said the policy has nothing to do with the CBN but Mr. President who changed currency even in his first tenure as military head of state.
“That the timing is wrong. In my personal opinion, I want to tell you that Governor El-Rufia is in court to seek redress in his capacity as governor of Kaduna State. He is speaking for the people of Kaduna State not for the entire All Progressives Congress.
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“On the allegations of swapping over N21b for vote, let me say that just yesterday, the party launched the Renewed Hope Ambassadors of Nigeria to mobilise 20-man canvassers in each of the polling units.
“A party that is resorting to vote-buying will not initiate such a volume of projects. I want you to also know that my party is not ready to buy votes. The BVAS was introduced by my party.
“The Electoral Act 2022 was signed by my party. So the party is putting up measures to checkmate some of the excesses during elections, such as rigging, vote-buying and all of that.”
The All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday hailed the Supreme Court over its ruling on the naira redesign.
A seven-member panel of the apex court had earlier on Wednesday restrained the Federal Government and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from going ahead with the February 10 deadline for the withdrawal of the old naira notes from circulation was discussed by the two leaders.
The court delivered the ruling in an application filed by Governors Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), Yahaya Bello (Kogi), and Bello Matawalle (Zamfara).
The court also adjourned the case to February 15, 2023.
Tinubu, who reacted to the judgement in a statement issued by the Director of Media and Publicity in the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Bayo Omanuga, said the ruling saved Nigeria from anarchy.
The former Lagos State governor charged the Nigerian government to revise the policy in the interest of Nigerians.
He also commended the three APC governors who took the matter to the apex court, saying he was in the presidential race to make life better for Nigerians.
The statement read: “I want to salute the courage of our governors and most especially the progressives governors in APC who acted to save our country from avoidable and dangerous political crises and social unrest which the central bank policy on new naira notes has brought on our country,”
“Our country was dangerously careering toward anarchy and political and economic shutdown. But with the Supreme Court interim ruling, our country has been pulled back from the precipice.
“We thank our Supreme Court justices for ruling wisely on the side of the people who have been subjected to undue agony and pains since this policy was announced.
“The federal government and relevant stakeholders can now sit down and work out a better framework on how to proceed with the new policy without causing any social and economic disruption and inconvenience to our people. We have examples of other countries that have successfully and seamlessly changed their currencies to learn from.
The Osun State Police Command has warned members of the public to desist from the sale and abuse of the Naira notes.
In a press statement signed by the Command’s spokesperson, Yemisi Opalola and obtained by 𝕹𝖔𝖇𝖑𝖊 𝕽𝖊𝖕𝖔𝖗𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘 𝕸𝖊𝖉𝖎𝖆, he stated that the move was in compliance with the Federal Government’s policy and the directive of Usman Baba Alkali, the Inspector General of Police. Watch Video Here
The warning, which was targeted at Point Of Sales (POS) operators and filling stations, advised that such acts should be jettisoned because the Command had emplaced an Intelligence Unit to arrest and subsequently prosecute such individuals or groups engaged in the sale or abuse of Naira notes issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria. Watch Video Here
He said, “In compliance with the Federal Government’s policy and the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba’s directives to uphold the provisions of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007 and dignify Nigeria’s currency, the Osun Police Command is using this medium to warn members of the public who are into this unethical behaviour, especially Point of Sales (POS) operators and Filling Stations to jettison such, as the police Command has emplaced an Intelligence unit of the Command to arrest and subsequently prosecute such individuals or groups engaged in the sale or abuse of the Naira notes issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria.
“The Commissioner of Police has equally directed the Area Commanders, and Divisional Police Officers to carry out full enforcement of the provisions of Sections 20 and 21 of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007 which criminalizes amongst other things, the hawking, selling, trading, spraying, matching, falsifying or counterfeiting of bank notes, refusal to accept the Naira as a means of payment, tampering with the Naira notes issued by the CBN.” Watch Video Here
The statement also enjoined members of the public to cooperate with the police to ensure that violators were brought to book and prosecuted.
On Friday, February 3, 2023, operatives of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) had arrested the Operations Manager of First City Monument Bank, Osogbo for deliberately sabotaging the Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) from dispensing the redesigned Naira notes to members of the public. Watch Video Here
On the same day in Osogbo, the anti-corruption agency also arrested seven POS operators and the security guard of a bank for selling the redesigned Naira notes to members of the public.
Most POS operators within Osogbo, the State capital, charge N100 for N1,000 instead of the N100 for N5,000 that was obtainable before the redesigned Naira notes became scarce.
The POS operators said they pay heavily in order to get the redesigned Naira notes from banks.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Wednesday expressed hope that this year’s general elections would take place as scheduled despite the current situation in the country.
Obasanjo, who spoke when members of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) visited him at his residence in Abeokuta, Ogun State, said the elections are of great importance to the international community, and as such Nigerians cannot take it less seriously.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had fixed February 25 for the presidential and National Assembly elections while the governorship and State House of Assembly polls will take place on March 11.
There are insinuations that the commission would postpone the elections over the fuel and naira scarcity in the country.
Obasanjo said: “We cannot take it (election) any less important than those people from the international community.
“We are in an interesting period in Nigeria. In less than three weeks, we will be going to the poll. I hope nothing will intervene against that. In less than three weeks, we will be electing a leader that will pilot the affairs of Nigeria for the next four years from May.
“And all of us in Nigeria, again, as I have said to you early this morning, I have been in Togo, Ghana, and Côte d’Ivoire from the beginning of the week. I can tell you that they are as concerned about what happens in Nigeria as every Nigerian should be.
“Last night before I left Abidjan, President Ouattara (Alassane) told me the position in West Africa that Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire are vying for and he said to me, ‘well, we are putting it on hold until after Nigeria’s election.
“So even for them, Nigeria’s election is of importance. And I believe that for us who are directly involved, we cannot take any less important than those people.”
In light of the protests springing up in different parts of the country as a result of fuel and cash scarcity emanating from naira redesign policy, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adamu Garba, has charged Nigerian government to come up with decision solutions.
The recent redesign of currency leading to the scarcity of naira had frustrated Nigerians into brutal protests, especially in Lagos, Abeokuta, Ibadan and Ondo.
Despite President Muhammadu Buhari’s promise to address the crisis within seven days, the policy has continued to take its toll on vulnerable Nigerians.
Garba, who commented on the development in a series of tweets on Tuesday, condemned Nigerian government’s inactiveness on the crises.
The former lawmaker said the policy as well as the biting fuel scarcity, if not decisively looked into, might truncate the progress and democracy of the country.
He wrote: “Everything needs to be done by the government to fix the Naira/Fuel scarcity issue and stop the ongoing protest in Abeokuta. I learned that Ondo is planning the same. South West is a beacon of our democracy and we should not forget the history of how Operation Wetie started.
“We must remind ourselves that no one will get anything when Nigerians are not happy. Not the Government, the politicians, the opposition, or the public If the policy is not working, then it is simply not working. It should be reserved, carefully planned, and re-implemented.
“We should avoid any tension or unnecessary grandstanding that could lead to the truncation of our peace, prosperity, or worst of all, our democracy.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday restrained the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Federal Government have from effecting the February 10, 2023 deadline to phase out the old Naira notes.
In a ruling delivered by a seven-man panel of the Supreme Court led by Justice John Okoro, granted an ex parte application that the old Naira notes will remain a legal tender until a final decision has been made on the suit brought to the court by three northern states; Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara.
Recall with 𝕹𝖔𝖇𝖑𝖊 𝕽𝖊𝖕𝖔𝖗𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘 𝕸𝖊𝖉𝖎𝖆 that the CBN had redesigned the N200, N500 and N1,000 banknotes, and released the new currencies in December 2022.
The financial regulator also informed Nigerians that the old Naira notes would cease to be legal starting from January 31, 2023, but it later extended the deadline to February 10, 2023.
Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara governments dragged the CBN and FG to court over the impact of the transition from old Naira to the new Naira notes.
Through their counsel, AbdulHakeem Uthman Mustapha (SAN), they asked the Surpreme Court to intervene as the deadline would increase the hardship of persons living within the three states.
They applied for an interim injunction through an ex-parte motion to temporarily halt the CBN and Nigerian commercial banks from enforcing the deadline to phase out the old Naira
Mustapha told the court that, “Unless this Honourable Court intervenes, the Government and people of Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara State will continue to go through a lot of hardship and would ultimately suffer great loss as a result of the insufficient and unreasonable time within which the Federal Government is embarking on the ongoing currency redesign policy.”
The three states argued that their residents have deposited their money to the banks as directed by the central bank, but there’s insufficient of new Naira notes to meet the demands of their citizens.
They said the 10 days extension of the deadline is not enough to cushion the chaos and hardship the Naira redesign policy has caused their residents, as they are still unable to access their money to finance their daily activities.
A cross-section of Nigerians has reacted to the Supreme Court’s decision to temporarily halt the move by the Federal Government to ban the use of the old naira notes from February 10, 2023.
𝕹𝖔𝖇𝖑𝖊 𝕽𝖊𝖕𝖔𝖗𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘 𝕸𝖊𝖉𝖎𝖆 had reported on Wednesday that a seven-member panel led by Justice John Okoro, stopped the move of the federal government in a ruling in an exparte application brought by three northern states of Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara.
The three states had specifically applied for an order of Interim Injunction restraining “the federal government through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) or the commercial banks from suspending or determining or ending on February 10, 2023, the time frame with which the now older version of the 200, 500 and 1,000 denomination of the naira may no longer be legal tender pending the hearing and determination of their motion on notice for an interlocutory injunction”.
Moving the application on Wednesday, counsel to the applicants, Mr A. I. Mustapha, SAN, had urged the Supreme Court to grant the application in the interest of justice and the well-being of Nigeria.
Mustapha stated that the government’s policy has led to an “excruciating situation that is almost leading to anarchy in the land “.
While he referred to CBN’s statistics which put the number of people who don’t have bank accounts at over 60 per cent, Mustapha lamented that the few Nigerians with bank accounts couldn’t even access their monies from the bank as a result of the policy.
Delivering a ruling in the motion, Justice Okoro held that after careful consideration of the motion exparte this application is granted as prayed, “An order of Interim Injunction restraining the federal government through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) or the commercial banks from suspending or determining or ending on February 10, 2023, the time frame with which the now older version of the 200, 500 and 1,000 denomination of the naira may no longer be legal tender pending the hearing and determination of their motion on notice for interlocutory injunction”.
He, however, adjourned to February 15, 2023, for a hearing of the main suit.
However, Nigerians have taken to Twitter to react to the development. Some criticized the Supreme Court’s decision, while others hailed the apex court.
Here are some comments gathered by 𝕹𝖔𝖇𝖑𝖊 𝕽𝖊𝖕𝖔𝖗𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘 𝕸𝖊𝖉𝖎𝖆 from Twitter:
@aholagunju, “A win for democracy!
@MaziGomez, “This is the time Buhari should disobey a court order. Not all those ones he’s been doing.”
@KenUttih, “Yet again, the same Supreme Court. We need something beyond the norm to fight corruption in Nigeria. Citizens must play the major role to make it happen no matter the method adopted.”
@OpigoPeter, “This whole new Naira note drama is beginning to look like a comedy show.”
@SkinnyBoi001, “Even if the deadline is extended to December this year, people would still go through what they are going through now.”
@Classic84073745, “Why are all these APC governors taking this money issue very seriously? They never take security and educational matters seriously like this.”
@Danidon, “Clearly, President Buhari is not the strongest person in APC. Why are they bent on stopping this? Why are they not compelling CBN to make the new notes more available instead?
@Mr_temitope, “Nigerian politicians always have their own way. Now, it seems like the court has joined them.”
@Mr_temitope, “Nigeria politicians will always have their way. This is a sad reality.”
@austinemarobe, “If they can do it for old Naira notes, they can do it for Fuel and all other problems we are having in the country.”
@630bbba13a784b7, “Pain relief news, CBN should do the needful by making a new Naira note available for us. People are going through a lot. Only you know.”
Following the protests that rocked Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, over the cash crunch, on Tuesday, the state governor, Dapo Abiodun, has called on the protesters to stop their protests and allow the outcome of his engagement with the Bankers Forum and the Central Bank to yield fruits.
Gov. Abiodun, who made this known during the statutory meeting of the council of Obas, held at the Oba’s complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, noted that the Central Bank of Nigeria is doing its best to arrest the situation.
The governor said the matter was being discussed at the highest level with both President Muhammadu Buhari and the CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, in the quest to resolve the crisis.
The governor recalled that All Progressives Congress governors had met with President Muhammadu Buhari, pleading that the old naira notes should be allowed to run as legal tender along with the redesigned currency, pending the resolution of the cash crunch crisis.
While calling for calm, the governor said the voices of the protesters had been heard loud and clear and that the government is responding.
“I call on our youths to discontinue the street protests and constructively engage the government in finding solutions.
“It has become necessary to formally appeal to all concerned, having heard from many concerned Nigerians and having conducted series of meetings, along with my brother governors, with President Muhammadu Buhari and the Governor of Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele and security chiefs on the challenges, sufferings and pains being experienced over this cash scarcity and cash swap occasioned by the redesigning of our currency.
“I have also personally had to engage the controller of the Central Bank of Nigeria in Abeokuta and other bank managers to seek relief on the amounts that citizens can withdraw in exchange for deposits made in commercial banks and extracted a commitment that people would have access to their deposited funds without hitches, as CBN will supply adequately to the commercial banks.
“I understand the frustration, disappointments of our citizens queuing at Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), waiting to cash money for hours or entering banking halls only to be turned back or given so little that is not enough to meet their immediate needs”, the governor said.
He added that he does not have a doubt that the intention of this policy was not to unleash hardship and suffering on our teeming populace.
“We will hear from the President as to what steps are being taken to bring succour and relief to Nigerians. My plea to our monarchs being the closest to the grassroots is to ensure the maintenance of peace in their domains with the support of their subjects.
“We will not be where we are in terms of socio-economic development in an atmosphere of insecurity; so we owe a lot to you and my charge to you this afternoon is that you please help us manage this situation.
“Our people will listen to you, they will trust and believe you, please help us to intervene. Ogun State has always had a record of managing our problems in a very different way. When we had #EndSARS, we remained the most peaceful state across the country and I do not have a doubt that in the same manner that we managed ourselves during #EndSARS, we will also do so during this period,” he said.
Governor Abiodun further said it is disheartening to see bank buildings being vandalised and people resorting to violence to register their displeasure.
“We shouldn’t allow our state to descend to that level. We are a peaceful and peace-loving people and the safest state in the country. I want to use this medium to plead with our youths that when there is a problem, the solution is not to hit the streets and to start protest marches; we can not solve a problem with another problem.
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“Civil disobedience will rather exacerbate the anguish in the land. Let us stay away from avoidable loss of lives and properties. Please, let us embrace peace. We are a very peaceful state; we are very orderly and we have spent a lot of time and energy to invest in the peace and security of our people. We must eschew provocation that could lead to a breakdown of law and order.”
In his remarks, the Chairman, Ogun State Council of Obas and the Paramount ruler of Remoland, Oba Babatunde Ajayi, while thanking the Governor for looking after the welfare of the traditional institution in the state, noted that the 2021 Obas law is a comprehensive piece of legislation.
He charged monarchs in the state to go back and look at the laws all over again as it is meant to give a lot of guidance in terms of appointment of Obas and Coronet Obas
The Supreme Court of Nigeria has restrained the Federal Government from continuing with the full implementation of the demonetization policy.
Three northern states, Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara, had, in a motion ex-parte filed on February 3rd, prayed the apex court to halt the Central Bank of Nigeria’s naira redesign policy.
A 7-man panel of the Supreme Court led by Justice John Okoro, in a unanimous ruling, granted an interim injunction restraining the FG, CBN, commercial banks etc, from implementing the February 10 deadline for the old 200, 500 and 1000 Naira notes to stop being a legal tender.
The court further held that the FG, CBN, and commercial banks must not continue with the deadline pending the determination of a notice on notice in respect of the issue on February 15. By the ruling, the old Naira notes continue to be legal tenders in Nigeria.
Spokesman for the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has warned the Nigerian government against pushing vulnerable Nigerians into war, in light of the attendant consequences of naira and cash scarcity in the country.
Baba-Ahmed in a tweet on Tuesday condemned the challenges facing the masses as a result of destructive policies of the government.
He wrote: “How much can the people endure? Cant buy, cant sell, cant eat, cant move, not safe, not heard, not relevant. Is this politics or poor governance? Please do not push the poor too hard.”
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the major opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have been engaged in a war of words over the prolonged scarcity of new Naira notes which has led to an economic downturn, especially with small businesses.
Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the APC, was accused by the PDP presidential council of hoarding new notes in order to allegedly engage in vote-buying during the elections.
Speaking on this issue, the PDP campaign spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement on Tuesday, insisted that “the Tinubu campaign is desperate to mop up new naira notes by allegedly swapping them with their ill-gotten old notes stashed away in secret vaults, because, they had relied solely on alleged vote-buying.
“We find it disheartening that Tinubu and his allies are taking Nigerians from APC-induced seven years of weaponised hunger to a wholesome poverty by triggering this alleged unbearable cash scarcity that has wrecked small businesses, destabilised homes and sunk millions of Nigerians into deeper financial abyss,” he said.
However, the APC fired back, asking the opposition’s council to provide evidence over the hoarding allegations.
The Director of Media and Communication for Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, Bayo Onanuga, said, “Let them provide the evidence if they uncovered such. It is not enough to dish out cock and bull stories in the name of press releases.”
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“Making senseless allegations every passing day which has become the hallmark of PDP campaign is not how to win election.
“Nigerians can’t forget a party of people that looted over $2bn dollars meant for arms procurement when Boko Haram was killing our citizens and almost took over three states in the North-East.
“We challenge the PDP to bring out any evidence of their latest allegation otherwise the party of looters should hide its ugly face in perpetual shame.”
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday held a meeting with representatives of the state governors and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele.
Also present at the meeting which held behind closed doors at Aso Villa, Abuja was the chairman Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa.
Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Aminu Tambuwal; and the Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum, Atiku Bagudu represented state governors.
Details from the meeting have not been made public as at the time of this report, but feelers suggest it may have been called to discuss and find a solution to the cash crunch which has hit the nation in recent times, over the cash swap and naira redesign policy of the apex bank.
Though details of the meeting was not made public, it comes after a meeting originally scheduled with the Nigerian Governors’ Forum was cancelled.
State House sources however, believe the meeting was cancelled following a court order that stopped the Federal Government from extending the February 10 deadline for the swapping of three old naira notes set by the CBN
The Federal Government has blamed opposition parties for “restricting” President Muhammadu Buhari from putting an end to the sufferings Nigerians are going through due to the cash crunch resulting from the naira redesign.
Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, who made the accusation at the 23rd edition of Buhari’s administration scorecard series (2015-2023) on Tuesday in Abuja, said the Federal Government was not unmindful of the inconveniences being faced by Nigerians because of the redesigning of the naira notes and fuel supply disruptions, but said attempts by Buhari to ameliorate the pains have been truncated by unscrupulous opposition parties.
The Minister said it was however, surprising that some opposition political parties ran to court to “obtain an injunction restraining the President and and the Central Bank of Nigeria from extending the February 10 deadline for Nigerians to swap their old notes for new ones.”
“The court action came after a number of opposition parties threatened to boycott the 2023 general elections if the deadline was extended,” he said.
“These curious actions by the parties concerned are clear evidence that the opposition has turned this whole issue into a political game, preferring to make Nigerians suffer more on the altar of an unconscionable political gamesmanship.
“Or how else can one explain the fact that these unscrupulous opposition parties don’t want any action that could reduce the pains being experienced by Nigerians?” Mohammed queried.
The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has said that Nigerians are going through a tough time because of the new naira notes policy, saying he does not have cash.
The former two-time governor of Lagos stated this during an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today.
Fashola said that the new policy is not working at the moment.
𝕹𝖔𝖇𝖑𝖊 𝕽𝖊𝖕𝖔𝖗𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘 𝕸𝖊𝖉𝖎𝖆 reports that Nigerians have continued to queue at Automated Teller Machine (ATM) locations or pay high withdrawal charges to Point of Sale (PoS) operators to get the new naira notes.
ActionAid seeks permanent solutions to naira, fuel crises Bagudu restates Kebbi’s commitment to bio-fuel production After governors of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) under the aegis of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) urged President Muhammadu Buhari to allow both the old and new naira notes co-exist last Friday, the president said he would take a critical decision on the issue in seven days.
Commenting on the naira redesign policy, Fashola said, ” The facts that I can talk about on the new policy is that I can see pain. I see people at ATMs. I see people in banks crowded struggling to get their money. I take feedback. I don’t have cash, too. I don’t. The policy is not working at this moment. It is causing unintended consequences.”
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) should have introduced N5,000 notes to avoid the hardship Nigerians are facing due to the Naira redesign, the Director-General of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Sola Obadimu, has said.
According to NACCIMA DG in a report by NAN on Monday, embarking on the currency redesign was a bad move by the apex bank.
Recall with 𝕹𝖔𝖇𝖑𝖊 𝕽𝖊𝖕𝖔𝖗𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘 𝕸𝖊𝖉𝖎𝖆 that the head of the central bank, Godwin Emefiele, disclosed in October 2022 that the N200, N500 and N1,000 banknotes would be redesigned to mop up the N2.7 trillion in circulation.
Although the financial regulator denied any plan of introducing N5,000 notes, it went ahead to release the aforementioned denominations in December, stating that the old version would cease to be legal starting from January 31, 2023.
The apex bank later extended the deadline to February 10, 2023, after public outcry over the shortage of the new Naira notes in commercial banks.
𝕹𝖔𝖇𝖑𝖊 𝕽𝖊𝖕𝖔𝖗𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘 𝕸𝖊𝖉𝖎𝖆 understands that the transition from the old Naira to the redesigned currencies has not been successful with Nigerians protesting at banks due to the inability to withdraw and buy goods.
NACCIMA DG said introducing N5,000 was the solution to mopping the N2.7 trillion in circulation, “If I were the CBN governor, all I would have done was to have introduced a N5,000 note.”
Obadimu also stated “That would have helped to mop up the money in circulation without the kickbacks we are getting. Because it is a higher denomination, fewer amounts of bills would have been printed.”
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Meanwhile, he supported the call of the CBN that Nigerians should embrace a cashless society, but he said the country wasn’t ready yet, as banks find it difficult to refund customers after a transaction declines.
He said, “For instance, when a financial transaction declines, you get debited and the bank cannot refund you for up to three weeks even if the transaction is to the same bank.”
Obadimu stated further, “So, for the urban network to improve and for the rural areas to catch up, the government has to invest heavily in infrastructure so that every part of Nigeria will be digitised.”
Banks in Ilorin, Kwara State capital, have pegged cash withdrawals across the counter at N20,000 for lucky customers.
𝕹𝖔𝖇𝖑𝖊 𝕽𝖊𝖕𝖔𝖗𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘 𝕸𝖊𝖉𝖎𝖆 reports, however, that the frustration of customers surrounding the new currency swap continues without any feasible end to the chaotic experience encountered at the bank halls and ATM points in the Ilorin metropolis.
Customers, who wished to swap their old currencies to new ones throng their various banks as early as 4.a.m and 5a.m and remain till 6p.m in the attempt to beat the extended February 10, deadline by the Federal Government.
Operators of POS have also increased their charges on withdrawals from 10 percent to 25 per cent depending on the amount a customer intends to withdraw at a time.
A customer, who spoke to our correspondent, claimed that she was charged N1,000 for a withdrawal of N10,000 while another customer disclosed that he was charged N150 for withdrawal of N1,000.
Findings by Our correspondent further revealed that most operators of POS are unable to meet the huge requests of customers as they complain about paucity of cash.
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The development has also collapsed some small scale business enterprises.
A female POS operator told 𝕹𝖔𝖇𝖑𝖊 𝕽𝖊𝖕𝖔𝖗𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘’ known Media in Ilorin on Monday, that she could only give out N2,000 at a time to the numerous customers that patronize her shop.
Recall with 𝕹𝖔𝖇𝖑𝖊 𝕽𝖊𝖕𝖔𝖗𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘 𝕸𝖊𝖉𝖎𝖆 that President Muhammadu Buhari has asked Nigerians to give him one week to decide and take action on the currency swap crisis.
This formed the basis of the text of a press conference jointly addressed by the Osun Civil Societies Coalition and the People’s Advocates on the lingering scarcity of fuel and the redesigned Naira notes in the country on Monday, February 6, 2023, in Osogbo.
The statement jointly signed by Waheed Lawal and Emmanuel Olowu, Chairman and Publicity Secretary, Osun Civil Societies Coalition and The Peoples Advocates alluded to the fact that Nigerians are going through hell to get fuel and cash for personal use and business purposes.
While accusing the CBN of refusal to make available the redesigned Naira notes, they alleged that it amounted to a deliberate attempt to punish Nigerians unjustly.
It also demanded that the Central Bank of Nigeria make enough amount of the new Naira notes available to the banks for onward disbursement to the general public.
“Considering the pains being experienced by the common men in getting cash for their livelihood, it would not be out of place to declare that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government is inconsiderate and insensitive to the plight of the citizens.
“We need not to tell you the agony of Nigerians who queue for more than six hours to get cash from ATM. Some people are even unlucky as they will not be able to get cash at the end of the day after spending several hours in the queue.
“The Central Bank of Nigeria led by Mr Godwin Emefiele has clearly been playing hide-and-seek in the circulation of the new naira notes. We acknowledged the fact that there are saboteurs among the top echelon of the banking industries but the CBN has not also released enough amount of the redesigned denominations to banks through which they can be disbursed to the generality of people. This is responsible for the ridiculous amount of cash being paid to people over the counter.
“Economically, the scarcity of cash has crippled many businesses and further pushed millions of Nigerians far below the poverty line. Petty traders no longer make sales because of cash transactions which their trading depends upon. We make bold to say that this financial policy of the Federal Government is doing more harm than good presently. There should have been another way round to maintain a balance between cash control and the wellbeing of the people.”
Describing the sufferings of Nigerians as double jeopardy, the Civil Societies Organisations added that President Muhammadu Buhari has been laying lip service to ensuring that fuel is available at an affordable rate for Nigerians even as he directly supervises the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.
“It equally speaks volumes of a President that has been supervising everything that has to do with petroleum resources to ask for seven days to address the fuel scarcity.
“The two key issues have taken away the dignity of the majority of Nigerians. We have seen videos where men and women stripped themselves naked in protest against their inability to get cash. Car owners have long been sleeping at filling stations for fuel. Many people have been injured as a result of fights at filling stations and ATM centres. In Osun today, we have filling stations selling fuel between N350 and N400 per litre. The masses remain the end receiver of this economic mismanagement. The reverberating effect falls on the common people who go to the market to buy foodstuffs, board public transport, pay bills, etc.”
While calling for an urgent address of the calamities, the group warned that if action is not taken, violent protests may be triggered nationwide.
“It is the awareness of this fact, coupled with the intelligence report that made us to suspend the mass protest that was supposed to be held today. We do not want to create a platform for some elements whose only language is violence. The outcome of last week’s protest in Ibadan and Benin is an indication that Nigeria is sitting on a keg of gunpowder. The hardship is becoming unbearable to the generality of the people.
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“While we suspend our protest for today, we will hit the streets anytime soon if the cash and fuel scarcity persists.”
The group also called on security operatives and anti-graft agencies to go after bank managers and other officials who have been hoarding the new naira notes and sabotaging other processes of getting the new denominations widely circulated.
Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila says the House of Representatives will reconvene before the general elections if the hardship being faced by Nigerians over the new redesigned Naira persists.
Gbajabiamila, according to a statement by his spokesman, Lanre Lasisi, said this yesterday at a town hall meeting with some ethnic groups in Surulere, Lagos.
He said the House would continue to monitor the Central Bank of Nigeria’s implementation of the policy.
He said: “The House of Representatives intervened on several occasions. We summoned the CBN governor the first time and again, but he refused to answer, because we had many hard questions for him.
“It was until I issued the threat of warrant of arrest before he came, and I would’ve signed that warrant; it would’ve been the first time in the history of National Assembly that a CBN governor would be arrested. I would’ve done it.
“Many have argued on the independence of CBN, the autonomy of CBN. That does not make CBN above the law. The constitution gives the House the power to issue an arrest warrant against anyone, we can summon anybody, and that was exactly what the House was going to do until the CBN governor came.
“So, we’re watching, and we’re monitoring very closely. If need be, we will reconvene the House, even though we’ve all been away for our elections. I will call the House back if need be”.
![Buhari, Emefiele extends naira swap from February 10. [See new deadline]](https://newsworthy3news.files.wordpress.com/2023/02/screenshot_20230207-172244-01-1.jpeg?w=400&h=300&crop=1)
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