The Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately reverse his stance on the old naira notes in order to calm down the tension across the country.
Akeredolu, who faulted the declaration of the president that the old N1000 and N500 notes are no more legal tender while extending the validity of the old N200 note till April 10, said those who advised the president in that regard were mischievous.
The governor stated this in a statement titled, ‘Mr President should halt this seamless drift’ on Saturday.
According to the Chairman Southern Governors Forum, there was a need for president to rescind the controversial naira policy, as he said it was unpopular, fruitless and counter-productive, moreso that there is a subsisting order of the Supreme Court on the matter and the crisis it was causing across the country few days the general election.
The statement read, “The crises engendered by the policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria to redesign some currency notes, threaten to disrupt, not only the forthcoming general election. The events of the past days, culminating in the intervention of the apex court in the land, and the increasing gale of violence sweeping through the country, portend serious danger to the current democratic governance. Consequently, this period invites all patriots to speak out with a view to proffering practicable solutions and not project cheap partisan interests.
“I use this opportunity to appeal to the President to play the role of a statesman at this crucial moment. It is apparent that the crises, which the current policy on currency swap has created, continue to spiral menacingly.
“There is incontrovertible evidence bordering on miscalculation, error of judgement and/or disinformation on the part of the policy makers, especially the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr Godwin Emefiele, on the failed implementation of the policy, the effect of which compels the whole country to groan, immeasurably, at present.