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Kano Postpones Buhari’s Visit Over Scarcity Of New Naira Notes
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The CBN is set to phase out the use of the old N200, N500, and N1,000 notes from February 1, 2023.
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However, shortage of the new notes has threatened the apex bank’s target.
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The Kano government lamented that the shortage has inflicted “hardship” on residents.
Eko Hot Blog reports that Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, has written the Presidency, asking President Muhammadu Buhari to postpone his visit to the state.
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The governor disclosed the development in a statement issued by his media aide Abba Anwar on Saturday.
According to Ganduje, his request for a postponement follows complaints by Kano residents over the hardship being faced in getting the new naira notes.
He said lawmakers from the state, political leaders, and the business community backed the decision to postpone the planned visit while urging for the extension of the deadline to return old naira notes.
“Deeply concerned with the hardship caused by the limited time given for halting the use of old Naira notes by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and for security reasons, Kano State governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje reveals that the state resolved and wrote to Presidency that, the visit of the President to commission some projects to be postponed,” the statement reads.
It noted that the decision was taken on Friday at the Government House during an interactive session with scholars, legislators, political leaders and the business community.
The statement added that the decision was taken to avoid any unforeseen circumstance.
President Muhammadu Buhari
The president was scheduled to visit the state between January 30 and 31 to commission some projects built by the Ganduje administration.
“As we are waiting for this important visit, we found ourselves in this situation, which puts citizens into untold hardship. For security purposes, we wrote to Presidency that President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to Kano is postponed,” the governor was quoted as saying.
“We got an acknowledgement copy of the letter. People are suffering because of this policy.
“During the meeting with sections of citizens in the state, they accepted that the decision was a unanimous one. As they all spoke in support of the letter sent to the Presidency.
“Two serving senators from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Kabiru Ibrahim Gaya and Barau Jibrin, twenty members of the House of Representatives and yhirty legislators from the State House of Assembly were amongst the groups that put their weight behind the governor.
“There are no banks in most of our rural communities. How these people get new Naira notes is of great concern. Just look at what is happening in our urban areas, people go and spend hours upon hours in banks. And without any assurances of getting the new notes.
“Even at Point of Sales (POS) according to the governor, one cannot transact with ease, hinting that, many of them closed shops due to uncertainty.
“Kano, being a commercial hub, must be heard loudly and clearly because this problem affects all of us. Therefore our voice must be heard in all nooks and crannies.”
Ganduje also said that Nigerian governors, across party lines, sent delegates to Buhari to complain to him about the hardship caused by the new development.
“Governors from all the political parties put heads together and sent delegates, but to no avail. So also traditional rulers followed the same path, but individually. But up to now, there is nothing in that respect,” he said.
The governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, had repeatedly said that the January 31 deadline for the use of the old notes is sacrosanct.
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The scarcity of the new notes have, however, prompted many Nigerians, including members of the House of Representatives, to demand an extension of the deadline.
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