Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State has condemned the support of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party and the New Nigeria Peoples Party for the Central Bank of Nigeria’s naira redesign policy.
A statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Abba Anwar, said the governor made the remark on Monday while launching the distribution of palliatives to ease the hardships caused by the scarcity of naira notes, which was held at the Open Theatre, Government House.
“To our surprise, opposition parties took the situation to court supporting and protecting the CBN in this ill-timed and anti-people policy. That was not done in the most appropriate way and time. Governors of Bayelsa and Edo are all PDP states and are in the forefront in this blunder.
“So also the NNPP came out and said what the governor of Kano State said in rejecting the CBN’s naira swap was wrong, according to them.
“I wonder what is wrong in speaking the truth that all Nigerians are seriously suffering because of this anti-human and ill-advised phenomenon,” Ganduje asked.
He added, “What the PDP and the NNPP want is for people to continue wallowing in poverty. We will not stop blaming the CBN for this economic blunder. We love our people. Therefore, anything that will disturb their wellbeing must be rejected, till proper channel and good time are put forth.”
Ganduje then disclosed that the APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, had promised Nigerians that he would end the current hardships caused by the CBN, if elected.
On the palliatives distribution, the governor said the state government was distributing the items in order to cushion the effects of the hardships caused to deliberately disturb the wellbeing of Nigerians.
“We didn’t invite this situation, neither did we pray for it. And therefore, we don’t welcome it at all. We gave similar palliatives during the COVID-19 days.
“And today our citizens are being faced with COVID-23 caused by the CBN. We earlier thought it was a simple disease, but unfortunately, it turned out to be a very serious virus going viral,” he lamented.
He further stated that, “…the virus coming from the CBN has affected all our commercial banks, our POS, our ATMs […] and all other things associated with this. Being the most populous state in the country, we are most affected by this unfortunate development.”
The governor said beneficiaries of the palliatives would come from all the 44 local government areas of the state.
“Today’s event is just to launch the distribution. It will continue from today, as we continue providing free buses for our people, just to cushion the effects of the CBN’s virus, COVID-23,” he added.
