Naira swap: opposition parties against deadline extension – FG
Federal Government, on Tuesday, slammed opposition political parties that went to court to restrain the President Muhammadu Buhari, from stopping, extending or interfering with the naira swap deadline date.
It also accused the parties of politicising the situation, adding that they were not mindful of the plight of Nigerians due to the cash crunch.
The Informant247 gathered that 14 political parties on Monday, threatened to boycott the February 25 election should the Central Bank of Nigeria extend the February 10 deadline for the currency swap which it had earlier announced.
Meanwhile, Justice E. Enenche of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday, restrained the President, the CBN, its Governor Godwin Emefiele and 27 commercial banks from suspending, stopping, extending or interfering with the currency swap terminal date, following an application by four political parties.
Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Information and Culture, while reacting to the development at the 23rd edition of the PMB Administration Scorecard Series (2015-2023), which featured the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development in Abuja, said that the action by the political parties was unscrupulous.
He said, “Recall that after his (Buhari’) meeting with the Progressives Governors’ Forum on Friday, President Buhari urged the citizens to give him a seven-day window to resolve the currency crunch that has emanated from the implementation of the naira redesign policy.
“Unfortunately, on Monday, some opposition political parties ran to court to obtain an injunction restraining Mr President and the CBN from extending the February 10 deadline for Nigerians to exchange their old notes for new ones.”
Mohammed said the court action came after a number of opposition parties threatened to boycott the 2023 general election if the deadline was extended.
He added, “These curious actions by the parties concerned are a clear evidence that the opposition has turned this whole issue into a political game, preferring to make Nigerians suffer more on the altar of an unconscionable political gamesmanship.
“Or how else can one explain the fact that these unscrupulous opposition parties do not want any action
that could reduce the pains being experienced by Nigerians?
“How else can one explain the fact that they have decided to legally hamstring Mr President, in particular, from providing any relief for Nigerians suffering from the cash crunch?”
He argued that it was bad politics when one puts the interest of desperate political parties over and above that of Nigerians, while stating that despite the antics of the opposition, the government was willing and able to take decisive steps to bring succour to Nigerians in the shortest possible time.
Mohammed said the Federal Government was mindful of the inconveniences currently being endured by the citizens as a result of fuel supply disruptions and the recent redesigning of some naira notes.
“Government is working assiduously to restore normalcy to these critical enablers of economic activity and to take added measures, where necessary, to alleviate the pains of Nigerians,” the minister stated.
