Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), has accused governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) of laying the groundwork for anarchy in the country with their virulent utterances and outright confrontation posture over the naira redesign project of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The PDP candidate, Mr Phrank Shaibu, expressed his condolences to Nigerians in a statement released by his Special Assistant on Public Communications. He said that the naira shortage was having unforeseen repercussions.
Angry youths protesting the shortage of the new naira notes damaged branches of four commercial banks and other public institutions in the historic town of Sagamu, the capital of Sagamu Local Government, region of Ogun State, yesterday morning, prompting Atiku to make his claim.
After President Muhammadu Buhari’s nationwide broadcast ordering the recirculation of the old N200 and the cessation of the N500 and N1,000 as legal tender, the governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el Rufai, issued a counter broadcast instructing the people of Kaduna to disregard the presidential broadcast and continue doing business with the old notes. He justified this by referencing the temporary restraining order issued by the Supreme Court.
Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje followed in Rufai’s footsteps by threatening the destruction of any bank that continued to accept outdated N500 and N1,000 notes. Any financial institution under our oversight that acts in such a disobedient manner will be subject to severe penalties.
Moreover, Governor Ganduje said that new schools will be constructed in the locations of the demolished banks.
Once the banks are demolished, we will turn the buildings into schools so that our children may have a good education, he said.
The Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, has threatened to revoke the Certificate of Occupancy of any business in the state that refuses to accept outdated naira notes as payment.
On a further note, Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara has issued an arrest warrant for anybody who refuses to utilise the older N500 or N1,000 bills.
Yesterday, in response to the ongoing debate over the naira redesign strategy, the governors of Bayelsa and Osun states, Senators Douye Diri and Ademola Adeleke, respectively, called for calm.
Adeleke also urged the CBN to punish commercial banks that hoard fresh naira notes against the will of the people.
But, Atiku said that protesters were encouraged to burn down commercial banks due to inflammatory statements made by several APC governors who threatened to close banks refusing the old currency.
He said that Abiodun’s dictatorial behaviour, in which he threatened to withdraw the certificate of occupancy of banks rejecting the old notes, had prompted the uprising.
“The president made it clear that the old N1,000 and N500 notes are no longer lawful cash,” Atiku said. Those who disagree with the President’s proclamation should seek legal redress rather than try to solve the problem on their own. One incorrect action does not justify another.
Ogun State’s governor, Dapo Abiodun, should be more aware of the situation. If banks comply with the President’s order, however, he has threatened to remove their certificates of incorporation. Sagamu, Abeokuta, and Mowe have all seen riots and bank burnings due to this disobedience.
Atiku, via his aide’s remark, criticised the Ogun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for handing obsolete notes to voters in advance of the poll.
He said, “Agents of Governor Abiodun could be seen exchanging the old notes in envelopes branded with the governor’s image, telling the followers that the notes remain legal tenders contrary to the CBN regulation, and the videos went viral all over social media.
It’s plain to see that Governor Abiodun doesn’t give a damn about the suffering of the people. Because his party can’t purchase votes is the sole reason they’re losing. That begs the question: from whence did the APC in Ogun State get these out-of-date currency notes? Vote-buying money has been stored here.
He also pointed out that Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki had blamed APC head Adams Oshiomhole for the rioting in Benin, a claim he saw as proof that the APC was orchestrating the unrest.
One of the most vocal opponents of the redesigned naira is Oshiomhole. Not surprisingly, the state’s top security official, Governor Obaseki, has concluded that Oshiomhole is responsible for the unrest. The APC “must cease inciting these violent demonstrations,” the statement said.
Shaibu also criticised Governor Nasir ell-Rufai of Kaduna State and Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State for their efforts to incite civil unrest in their respective states.
APC governors and the party as a whole, he stated, “do not love the people.” Their sole complaint is that this regulation makes it impossible for them to purchase votes. There is a danger of being duped by these dishonest politicians in Nigeria, and the people of that country should beware.
An adviser to Atiku has urged the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services, and other security services to enter the ranks of those causing disturbances in order to discover their supporters.
He speculated that delaying the election due to security concerns was the eventual objective.
There are fewer than five days to elections, and it is possible that the postponing of polls is the ultimate objective of those behind these disturbances. We applaud the military and law enforcement for their efforts to quell the rioting so far.
But we ask that they take it a step further and reveal who is funding them,” he added.
Ogun State Banks, IBEDC, and INEC Offices Burned by Angry Youth
The demonstrators assaulted locations of Union Bank, Keystone Bank, Polaris Bank, and Access Bank in Sagamu, the seat of Sagamu Local Government in Ogun State. Protesters stormed Polaris and Access Bank locations while Keystone and Union Bank branches were being burned.
The Sagamu Local Government Secretariat, where the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was housed, was also destroyed in the fire, along with a number of other public buildings and a number of pieces of furniture and other government property.
It was also reported that demonstrators built a burnfire on the Sagamu/Lagos/Benin Expressway and set fire to the office of the Ibadan Electric Distribution Company (IBEDC) in Sagamu.
The demonstration, which reportedly started outside Oba Babatunde Ajayi’s palace as Akarigbo of Remoland, quickly spread across the city.
On Friday, in response to the naira shortage, furious youths blocked the Mowe axis of the Lagos-Ibadan highway.
Kayode Segun-Okeowo, a local youth leader, called the incident “motivated damage and not a protest.”
It’s not a demonstration. I’m a revolutionary who knows the first three letters of protest. Its goal is to do damage.
The people “behind this” need to be “stopped,” he added in a phone interview.
He also verified the arson of two commercial banks.
At the same time, Oba Babatunde Ajayi, the Akarigbo of Remo, has issued a peace appeal.
In a statement he personally signed, the Oba urged everyone to maintain calm and peacefulness as negotiations with the Federal Government continued.
This regulation does not originate from the state or any municipality. Hence, the loss of life and property will make an already dire situation much worse.
In light of the Supreme Court’s verdict, I strongly encourage our people to keep using the old notes. No one would be disadvantaged if they continued to use the older bills. Please remember that promise of mine, for it will come true.
In response to the crisis, Abombola Oyeyemi, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for the Ogun State Command, said that normality has been restored in most areas of the city.
State Police Commissioner Frank Mba, according to Oyeyemi, is personally directing police units and some military soldiers to deal with the issue.
Meanwhile, yesterday, clashes broke out between APC and PDP members over the demonstration that had shaken Sagamu.
The administration of Ogun State released a statement, signed by the governor’s chief press secretary Kunle Somorin, claiming to have received credible information that the protest was being organised by unhappy PDP members and candidates.
“Although the rallies were supposedly against the scarcity of naira notes, the actual objective of these forces became evident with the inclusion of known PDP supporters,” the statement said.
“It is on record that the campaign trip of the APC, which travelled via Simawa to Ogijo and back to Sagamu, where two roads were commissioned yesterday, finished without any hitch,” the statement said. There were no violence, quarrelling, or conflicts of any kind during the APC event, which was attended by tens of thousands of people at several sites and lasted from around 8:00 am to 8:00 pm.
We are certain that the success of yesterday’s APC rally irritated the weak opposition PDP, leading to its members’ rash acts of vandalism.
Dapo Abiodun, governor of Ogun State, has been monitoring the aftermath of the naira’s redesign. The governor went on a tour of commercial bank branches and the Central Bank headquarters in Abeokuta, where he expressed sympathy for the people and assured them that measures were being taken to lessen the effect of the unpopular policy.
Instead, our citizens should be law-abiding and patient while they wait to vote for the party that best represents their interests.
has supported the people even during this difficult time.
Ogun State PDP Chairman Sikirulahi Ogundele responded to charges by saying the state government’s reaction demonstrated its carelessness and insensitivity to the plights of the people of Ogun State.
Ogundele said he was disappointed by the governing party’s “spurious charges,” and he said that the APC has failed Nigerians.
“The governing party has let the people down, and now they’re responding to the unjust suffering the party’s policies have caused. Can they really blame the PDP for the unrest in places like Oyo and Ondo? Many Nigerians are only responding. The governing party in Nigeria is avoiding taking responsibility for the suffering they have caused by transferring the burden to the opposition.
To clear the air once and for all: PDP is in no way connected to the unrest that has been taking place in Sagamu or elsewhere in the state. They need to go check themselves. That’s because they’ve lost touch with the general public. They need to blame the PDP for their failure. Ogundele said, “They are unorganised, and it’s showing, now that people are preparing to vote them out of office beginning this Saturday.”
The Reasons Why the CBN Ordered Banks to Start Collecting Defunct Notes
An official at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) explained yesterday why commercial banks are required to continue taking the old N1000 and N500 from clients who are still holding the currency.
According to the source, this was done to accommodate people who hadn’t been able to deposit them before the February 10 deadline.
In a talk with THISDAY yesterday, a source who requested anonymity stated that the CBN is required to allow anyone who is in possession of old notes but did not have time to deposit them into their banks by February 10, 2023, to exchange them for value at the apex bank.
As the notes stopped being legal money on February 10, she said, anybody who wants to redeem them at the CBN will have just one chance to do so.
This is the goal of the Central Bank of North Korea. To exchange your old notes for new ones, just fill out a form on the CBN website to get a CBN code.
It ordered banks to collect amounts less than N500,000 in order to ease the burden on the Central Bank of Nigeria. According to CBN, the previous N500 and N1,000 are no longer valid as of February 10, therefore they can’t be used as payment for products or services.
Governor of Bayelsa State Calls for Peace
After the heated debate over the redesign policy, Senator Douye Diri, governor of Bayelsa State, has called for peace.
Diri insisted that the central government was within its legal rights to enact the policy and encouraged the federal government to take concrete measures to alleviate the suffering of Nigerians.
Governor Yar’Adua was reportedly cited yesterday by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Daniel Alabrah, as having made these remarks during the 22nd meeting of the state security council held at Government House, Yenagoa.
He praised the people of the state for remaining peaceful and said he was certain that the difficulties caused by the policy would soon be gone.
Elections, he said, “will officially begin on Saturday. I hope this trend of peaceableness in our state continues.
To keep our state secure, we should all work with the security authorities and share information with them. Let me thank the heads of our armed forces for keeping our country secure.
As a group, we are having a tough time right now due to the government’s policies. The policy’s benefits outweigh the short-term discomfort.
While they are suffering, the people of Bayelsa have handled the situation with dignity and restraint, and they have never turned to criminal ways of addressing the problem.
Federal authorities alone have the authority to alter a country’s currency. It’s all we can do to ask the federal government to do something about it. I urge everyone in Bayelsa to respect each other and maintain tranquilly. There is no other nation that we can call home.
Recent fighting in Nembe-Bassambiri resulted in casualties, and Governor Diri has once again urged traditional authorities to take initiative in maintaining calm in their territories.
The head of state stressed that politics is meant to serve the people, not fight, and he urged politicians to act civilly and within the norms.
We have witnessed murders in Bassambiri leading up to the election. Killings of civilians have taken place for no apparent cause.
Once the election is over and calm is restored, I have ordered the security forces to stay in Nembe. I have ordered the arrest of the murderers as well,” he said.
Mr Ben Okolo, Commissioner of Police for Bayelsa State Command, briefed the press immediately after the meeting and reassured them that there would be sufficient security across the state for the next general election.
He reaffirmed the prohibition on boats with engines that produce more than 200 horsepower and promised strict enforcement.
With Central Bank of Nigeria Authorities in Attendance, Governor Adeleke Urges Punishment for Financial Institutions That Hold New Naira Notes
Sen. Ademola Adeleke, the governor of Osun State, issued a statement yesterday discouraging commercial banks from stockpiling fresh naira notes.
He urged the CBN to punish banks that support terrorists or other groups that work against the interests of the people.
Adeleke, speaking to CBN officials in his office, expressed his dismay at the growing scarcity of the new notes and said that he had been using the state network to diffuse tensions and guarantee the security of banks and the CBN state office.
The Governor has expressed dismay at the present hardships being experienced by the people of Osun state, claiming that his involvement over the last few weeks has protected the state from the rising unrest in certain southwest states.
“This is getting completely out of control. Rapid action from the CBN is required. Financial institutions caught stockpiling the new notes will face penalties. “We shouldn’t handle these banks with child gloves,” he remarked.
It would be a mistake to take my people’s patience for granted. That’s why we’re getting together in the first place. The new bills aren’t being distributed; why is that? Is there a limited amount available? Governor asked the question.
He assured the CBN delegation that his administration was willing to work with them on the currency exchange and explained that the state was making significant sacrifices to keep the peace and ease tensions.
There is a shortage of new banknotes. Despite becoming a state governor, I am still without the latest banknotes. You can imagine the difficulty our people would have in obtaining the new cash if their governor was not receiving any.
We shouldn’t put too much pressure on the public to continue helping us. Adeleke warned that “as elected and appointed leaders, we are supposed to react to the needs and aspirations of our people.”
CBN State Director Oluyemi Adeyemi replied, praising the governor’s preventative measures that averted rioting caused by a shortage of the Nigerian currency, the naira.
We’re doing all in our power to release the new banknotes as soon as possible. First, I should mention that the CBN has sent out questions to a few different banks. Here is an official statement from the CBN: “I assure Nigerians that we are working hard to get the new notes accessible.
Union of Concerned Citizens Urges Protesters to Cease Attacks on Bank Employees
The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has asked people to stop abusing its members who work in banks as part of a protest against the problems and hardships caused by the federal government’s naira devaluation policy.
In it, the administration was warned against using excessive force to quell the demonstrations.
The group cautioned that the federal government has no authority to use excessive force against Nigerians and that if this were to occur, a complaint would have to be filed with the International Criminal Court.
The union, on the other hand, has begged the demonstrators to refrain from attacking bank employees, saying that they, too, are victims of the poorly timed policy.
The union’s president, Festus Osifoh, and general secretary, Nuhu Toro, issued a joint statement saying the demonstrations were unfairly targeting bank employees and those who work in the financial sector.
“The TUC completely unites with the Nigerian people in their lawful and basic right to get access to their cash wrongfully withheld in the banks,” it said.
“Millions of our countrymen and women are suffering as they wait in line for hours at banks and ATMs to withdraw their rightful money.
We feel terrible for the regular Nigerians and their families who are suffering since they can’t access their bank accounts to withdraw money for necessities like food and medication.
The TUC also claimed that the staff of banks and other financial organisations were neither contacted nor given any opportunity to provide feedback on the redesigned naira.
Workers at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) did not have access to the newly printed naira notes since they had “no involvement whatsoever” in the production or release of the new currency.
Employees at all levels of banking and finance organisations are “mere labourers” who “distribute only currency made accessible to the different banks by the regulatory bodies,” the report said.
TUC said that if the claims that certain bank employees were withholding the new currency notes were verified, then it would not oppose the law taking its course.
Similarly, Oluwole Olusoji, national president of the Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI), has voiced worry over the damage to banking facilities, the loss of jobs, and the destruction of property.
He warned that this would have a devastating effect on the country’s financial institutions and economy.
Olusoji made the announcement yesterday in Lagos at a press conference. He added that despite the widespread adoption of cashless systems, currency dealers have continued to engage in panicked withdrawals, and he urged the government to improve the country’s sluggish cash circulation.
He called on demonstrators to stop damaging bank property and pointed out that similar incidents had already occurred in Edo, Delta, Oyo, and Abeokuta.
Olusoji said that as a result of the tragic events, the insurance industry has had to deal with claims totalling more than N2 billion.
“About 70% of employees in the informal sector are casuals who obtain daily revenue from their daily occupations,” he said.
He begged the general people to stop assaulting bank employees, threatening their families, and vandalising bank buildings.
We are at a crossroads in our nation’s history, and it will need the combined efforts of everyone to lead Nigeria back from the brink.
“Members of ASSBIFI and NUBIFIE are highly responsible, ethical, and patriotic individuals who are aware of the bad effect industrial action in an already heated climate may have, but if pushed, we will do what is required to defend and safeguard lives,” they said.
Inconsistent Atiku Can’t Provide the Leadership Nigeria Needs, Says APC Campaign
The Presidential Campaign Committee (PCC) of the APC has labelled Atiku as inconsistent and opportunistic.
It claimed Nigerians should run away from Atiku, saying a guy like him with no strong conviction and strength of character cannot deliver the sort of leadership the nation needs.
Director of Media and Publicity, APC PCC, Bayo Onanuga in a statement published yesterday said he had noticed the deceptive and changing views of Atiku since the present economic crisis created by the Central Bank commenced.
Onanuga said in keeping with his well-documented faults and unreliability, Atiku had offered various conflicting viewpoints, with the hopeless aim of reaping political benefits from the issue.
He added, “We notice that Alhaji Atiku and his worthless party originally applauded the CBN policy to high heavens when they first felt it was a strategy specifically devised to block Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu from being the next elected president of Nigeria.”
Onanuga noted that Atiku had urged on Buhari and the CBN Governor to guarantee rigorous execution of the policy and the deadline of January 31, “because, in his and his party’s short-sightedness and gross miscalculation, Tinubu was the major target.”
He stated that Atiku’s stance burst on his face when the unexpected repercussions of the CBN policy appeared in its full dimensions and decimated the whole people.
According to him, Atiku capitulated and attempted to claim some credit by requesting the CBN to ‘slightly shift’ the deadline of January 31, 2023.”
Onanuga pointed out that the CBN and the FG to whom Atiku and his party have suddenly become the cheerleaders listened to all the voices of reason and postponed the deadline for the currency exchange to 10 February.
He noted that on February 2, Atiku made another public stand, requesting the CBN not to push the deadline again