Godwin Obaseki, the governor of Edo State, has criticised the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) decision to redesign naira banknotes, claiming that the proposal is an attempt by the All Progressives Congress-led administration to deceive Nigerian voters ahead of the 2023 general elections.Information Guide Nigeria
Obaseki’s outburst comes exactly one week after CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele said that the central bank has completed plans to revamp the N200, N500, and N1,000 currency series.
Emefiele also disclosed that the freshly redesigned banknotes will enter circulation on December 15, 2022, and he urged the people to return their old banknotes to the banks by January 31, 2023, when they will no longer be acknowledged as legal cash.
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Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) stated that the measure was made to reduce crimes such as kidnapping and money laundering by removing excess naira notes currently in circulation.
However, Obaseki has stated that the programme authorised by President Muhammadu Buhari was motivated by ulterior intentions.
Wednesday, November 2, 2022, he said this during the inauguration of the Edo State Peoples Democratic Party Women Campaign Council at the Presidential Campaign Secretariat in Benin City, the capital of Edo State.
Obaseki, who is also an economist, criticised the Federal Government, stating that the establishment of such a policy at this time is a misplaced priority, given that the majority of citizens are suffering from hunger, poverty, and economic hardship.
“They say we should all bring our naira and give it to them because they want to change it for us. Is that our priority now? Does changing of currency reduce the price of food in the market? They say they want to change our currency and dollar is going higher every day. We can’t even see dollars again.
“I am an economist and I can tell you categorically that this policy by the CBN and Federal Government has no basis in Nigeria’s economy. There is no reason to do this. The move is purely political as there is no urgency in changing our currency.
“The urgency is on how to get food for our citizens to remove starvation and hunger from the land. The urgency is on how to maintain discipline in our monetary policy so that we can manage our foreign exchange rate because we are import dependent.”
“We can’t allow those managing our country (APC) to continue because if we allow the APC government to continue, the country will fail as the country is already failing. God sees how people are suffering in this country and will not allow them to manage Nigeria again.
“The 2023 general election is for the continuous existence of Nigeria. If the country must not fail, then we need to vote out APC as a party. Our party, the PDP is organic and our candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, is the best amongst all. The party has the structure to win the election next year.”
“APC has stolen our money and wants to use it to impose themselves on Nigerians come 2023 general elections. They have stocked up a lot and want to bring the money. Don’t be afraid, collect the money and vote them out like you did in Edo in the 2020 governorship election.”JAMB Result
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