Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State on Tuesday voiced his support for the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) currency reform program, despite the fact that many of his colleagues in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are against its policy.
Umahi acknowledged the pains the policy is causing many Nigerians, but insisted that he believed President Muhammadu Buhari had good intentions when he implemented the measure and that the difficulties would be overcome quickly.
Umahi, who is also the chairman of the South-East Governors Forum said, “President Buhari has worked so much for this country, he is a man with a clean heart. He is a man fighting the people that are oppressing the masses and I want to appeal to our people to be patient with him.
“We will support the president in the new naira redesign. In few days Nigerians will be happy with his decision.”
The APC Governors Forum, which has requested that Mr. Buhari amend the policy’s implementation and extend the deadline for the use of the old naira notes until December, disagrees with Mr. Umahi’s position.
In fact, the governors of Kaduna, Kogi, and Zamfara, three APC-controlled states, have filed a lawsuit against the federal government in the Supreme Court regarding the strategy. But Mr. Buhari assured the APC governors that he would evaluate the situation before the deadline on January 10.
The CBN declared in October that the redesign will make the old N200, N500, and N1,000 notes invalid as of January 31. The CBN decided to extend the deadline to February 10 due to the limited availability of the new notes.
Millions of Nigerians are still stranded and unable to use the new notes to pay for goods and services despite the extension.
Numerous states, including Oyo, Ogun, and Akwa Ibom, have seen rallies in response to the situation.
However, speaking at an APC campaign event in Ugbodo, in Ebonyi, Governor Umahi recognized that citizens in his state, like those in other parts of Nigeria, were having trouble accessing the new notes.
He said “We know we can’t go to the banks to withdraw money, we know the money is very scarce in Ebonyi. We know that the ATMs have all dried up and we have informed Mr President and Mr President is already addressing the issue.
“Buhari is a man that loves the people, he is a man that hates to see the people suffering. I urge all the gladiators to allow him to finish the good work that God called him to do in Nigeria.”
Umahi promised President Buhari in his speech that there won’t be any opposition to the strategy in his state.
He asked Nigerians to have patience with the president and promised that the misery and hardship they were currently experiencing will end soon.