President Muhammadu Buhari is “unwilling” to summon CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele to account over the naira redesign strategy, according to the Northern Elders Forum (NEF).
NEF spokesperson Hakeem Baba-Ahmed stated that Nigerians are “starving and enraged” as a result of the continuing shortage of naira notes in an appearance on Channels Television on Tuesday.
Prior to the elections in February and March, Baba-Ahmed claimed that the lack of naira is a “big demarketing thing” for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
If Buhari doesn’t want to see Nigerians suffer as a result of the naira shortage, he said, Buhari is aware of what to do.
“President Buhari has botched up right to the point he is going to leave,” he claimed as the reason why they were there.
“To have permitted this type of farce to exist on election day when you are genuinely running for votes for your own party.
“This financial issue is a significant demarketing issue for the APC.”
“This farce around the reprinting of the naira is by far the best approach the APC’s worst adversary could have come up with if he had intended for them to lose this election.
“People are starving, it is the honest fact. You have effectively eliminated the unorganized sector of the economy in about three to four weeks. since there is no money. A lot of people are angry.
You observe that the President is unable or unwilling to control Emefiele and suggest that they coexist for the next six months using the old and new nairas, respectively.
Evidently, President Buhari doesn’t pay attention to anyone. Emefiele asserted that because the president had my support, I would carry out my obligations.
“And Nigerians are saying that the president, not the CBN governor, is the one handling all of these challenging tasks for us.
“The governor of the CBN won’t get away with these things he is getting away from if the president doesn’t want all this suffering and contemplating the alternative possibilities.”
Nigerians have been struggling with a shortage of fresh naira notes, which has resulted in lines at ATMs and banking centers.
Due to the lack of new naira notes, there have been protests in several areas of the nation.
For the usage of old naira notes, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had set a deadline of January 31; however, it was extended to February 10.
Prior to the matter’s hearing on February 15th, the supreme court on February 8 temporarily prevented the federal government from outlawing the use of the old naira notes as of February 10, 2023.
Emefiele persisted on the deadline despite the court’s directive.
As gas stations, supermarkets, and other business owners have continued to refuse the old naira notes, the CBN governor’s position has caused confusion.
The hearing of the complaint against the CBN on the naira redesign policy was postponed by the top court on Wednesday to February 22.
