Naira redesign: Don’t make Nigerians scapegoats, Atiku tells FG

Atiku Abubakar

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has urged the Federal Government not to allow Nigerians to be made scapegoats “in the ongoing battle of titans over the redesign of the naira”.

Atiku said the Federal Government has a duty to ensure that commercial banks did not constitute themselves into stumbling blocks on “the well-thought out policy of naira redesign”.

The former Vice President said this via a statement issued on Monday.

“It is commendable that the Federal Government has rather preferred to work behind the scenes, based on the intelligence it is believed to have received, regarding suspicions that some presidential candidates may have stashed billions of naira as war-chest for vote-buying,” he stated.

Atiku further lamented that there has been widespread anxiety across the country, arising from poor execution of the naira redesign policy by commercial banks in the country.

“Businesses and cash-dependent small holder enterprises are all currently in serious distress. This should be addressed urgently to save the economy from collapse,” the PDP presidential flag-bearer added.

Atiku noted that he had on January 28, 2023, made a crucial intervention on the redesign of the naira, calling on the Federal Government and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to consider adjusting the deadline date to address the challenges being faced by members of the public.

He stated that the policy was being mismanaged, unlike what obtained in other parts of the world, where similar policies were implemented.

“Millions of Nigerians are being driven into grave desperation and despondency on account of the shortcomings of the execution of the policy.

“In recent weeks, social tension has been growing across Nigeria on account of the poor management of the redesign of the naira policy,’” Atiku added.

The Star