“It Will Deter The Circulation Of Drug Money In Our Economy”: Atiku Gives Reasons Why CBN Should Not Extend Deadline Day
- Get link
- X
- Other Apps
Former Vice-President and the Peoples Democratic Party presidential flagbearer, Atiku Abubakar has given reasons why Nigeria’s apex Bank, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) should not grant a further extension after February 10 deadline for naira swap.
Atiku in a statement
released in Abuja from his campaign office said it had become imperative to
ensure the purpose and objective of initiating the redesigning of the currency
are not destroyed.
The PDP candidate
advised the CBN to immediately review the measures it has put in place
for ensuring the seamless circulation of the new naira notes.
“The additional ten days will enable
our people in the rural areas and ordinary people across the country to take
the naira in their possession into the banks. It will also enable the CBN to
further circulate the new currency notes among banks so that people can have
easy access.
“Within these ten days, I urge the CBN
to initiate measures that will alleviate the problems being encountered by the
people in exchanging their old naira notes for new ones and getting more new
notes into circulation. The CBN may have to consider printing more currency
notes to eliminate the current scarcity among ordinary people, especially rural
dwellers who need them for their daily transactions.
“If the CBN thinks its officials and banks must operate at the weekend in order
to address the needs of the ordinary people and rural dwellers, it may have to
consider this option, after all the amount these people require is not
huge. The essential element here
is ensuring that the new currency goes around and is well distributed to the
points where people can easily access them. Every good policy must be people-centered and must
not bring avoidable difficulty to the people.
“However, the CBN should be wary
of the elite whose motive for crying out about more postponement of the
deadline for the tenure of the old naira notes is sinister and far from being
altruistic. I am totally in support of building a cashless economy and reducing
the amount of cash in our economy.
“The cashless policy and reduction of the cash in circulation has many
advantages and every patriotic Nigerian should support the CBN on this. It will help to reduce the flow of illicit
funds in our economy. It will help to defeat the funding of terrorism and deter
the circulation of drug money in our economy. It will help our fight against
corruption.
“More importantly, a cashless economy will help to save and grow our democracy.
Those who have devised several means of buying votes in the coming elections
and using money to corrupt the electoral system as well as destroying the
principle of one man, one vote and the goal of a credible, peaceful, free, and
fair poll are the ones shouting against the cashless policy and naira redesign.
“The anti-democratic elements who are pretending to be democrats are the ones
ganging up against the CBN because of the currency redesigning and the cashless
regime it seeks to enthrone. They have been scheming and lobbying day and night
to frustrate the policy. Now, their new measure is to lobby for a second
postponement of the deadline for the change of currency. I urge the CBN and the
government to ignore their antics. The CBN should not succumb to the current
pressure.
“There should be no further postponement of the new naira regime after
the expiration of the February 10 deadline. The vote riggers are seeking to
push the CBN to extend till after the election when they would have achieved
their evil plots. The CBN and the Presidency should be steadfast. The merits of
the new naira policy far outweigh the little inconvenience we are experiencing.
“This is one policy that will benefit the country in the long term. We should
not allow those selfish, parochial people with the narrow vision to derail it,”
the statement read.
Comments
Post a Comment