Naira Scarcity: Opposition Parties Have Legally Restrained Buhari – Lai Mohammed

The Federal Government has berated opposition political parties for dragging President Muhammadu Buhari to court in a move to stop the extension of the naira note swap deadline.

Recall that 14 political parties had on Monday threatened to boycott the February 25 election should the Central Bank of Nigeria extend the February 10 deadline for the currency swap that it had earlier announced.

Also, a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory 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.

But speaking 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, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed said that the political parties were not mindful of the plight of Nigerians due to the cash crunch.

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 actions by the parties are clear evidence that the opposition has turned the naira crunch issue into a political game, preferring to make Nigerians suffer more on the altar of unconscionable political gamesmanship.

He said: “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?”

Lai Mohammed, who said it was bad politics when one puts the interest of political parties above that of Nigerians, stressed 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.

“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.

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