One of the three naira notes that are going to be redesigned, according to Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) presidential candidate, should have the image of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
In a series of tweets on Saturday, Atiku also praised the 85-year-old African Union mediator for facilitating peace talks between the Ethiopian government and Tigrayan rebels following two years of deadly conflict that left millions in need of aid in Africa’s second-most populous nation.
In a statement released this week, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed decided to “permanently silence the guns” and put an end to the two-year struggle in northern Ethiopia.
On November 4, 2020, the crisis broke out when Nobel Peace Prize winner Abiy ordered soldiers into Tigray after charging the local government TPLF with attacking federal army facilities.
Atiku, on Saturday, celebrated the “extraordinary prowess” of Obasanjo in bringing peace to Ethiopia.
He said, “I am not surprised. I know my boss. He did the same thing in Liberia and São Tomé and Príncipe during our time in office,” the PDP candidate said. Atiku was Nigeria’s Vice-President between May 1999 and May 2007 when Obasanjo was a democratically elected President. Obasanjo and Atiku’s second term in office was not smooth but the two would later resolve their differences.
“If for nothing else, he is most deserving of a Nobel Peace Prize, and I will nominate him when entries are open for nominations.
“Africa is blessed to have a statesman of such impeccable democratic credentials as Chief Obasanjo. A man whose image ought to be in the redesigned Naira note to inspire future generations of Nigerians to sacrifice for their nation and continent.”
As of December 15, 2022, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will begin issuing redesigned N200, N500, and N1,000 notes. The existing notes will continue to be legal tender and circulate alongside the new ones until January 31, 2023, according to a statement made by CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele on October 26.