The Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Mr Bola Tinubu, the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde and the Governor of Delta, Ifeanyi Okowa have appealed to Nigerians to remain calm amidst scarcity of the new naira notes in the country.
They made the appeal in separate statements made available to Journalists.
Mr Tinubu expressed sadness at the reports of violent protests in parts of the country, especially in Delta, Oyo, Kwara and Edo states.
“I sympathise with all Nigerians who are going through the pains of not being able to get money from banks and ATM points to meet their basic daily needs. I also sympathize with the banks for being victims of the CBN currency redesign policy.
“Be rest assured that this phase will soon pass away as our governments at both the federal and state levels are working to surmount the current challenges.
“With the Supreme Court reaffirming its order of 8 February on monetary authorities to allow the old and new Naira notes to circulate together, I believe a solution is right on the way and the scarcity of Naira notes will soon be over,“ Tinubu said.
The APC Presidential Candidate further commended state Governors for the efforts they have made to cushion the effect of the naira scarcity on households.
He urged young people not to take laws into their hands by carrying out destructive protests.
Oyo State
In the same vein, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State while addressing residents of the state in Igbojaye, Itesiwaju Local Government Area, where he concluded a three-day stretch of campaigning in the four local government areas in Iseyin Federal Constituency appealed to them, some of whom engaged in protests across some locations in Ibadan, on Wednesday, saying; “Though it was the right of everyone to protest peacefully, be wary of hoodlums who might hijack the protests and cause a breakdown of law and order.”
The Governor maintained that the situation Nigerians had found themselves in is rather unfortunate, stating that as good as the naira redesign policy is, its timing was completely wrong and that the state government had engaged the Federal Government on the matter.
“We have found ourselves in a very unfortunate situation but violence will not solve the problem. So, I want to appeal to our people because we don’t want to lose a single soul to this crisis. Palliatives are going on in Oyo State and there are few things we have promised to do on this.
“We all have the opportunity to speak through our votes in 10 days time and it is someone who is alive that will enjoy what the new government will offer the people.”
Makinde urged the protesters to go back to their various homes because once the protests turn violent, the security personnel also had the right to protect the lives of other people, as the rights of some others begin where the rights of the protesters stop.
While speaking on behalf of the Security Commanders serving in Oyo State, after an on -the-spot-assessment of trouble spots in Ibadan, the Special Adviser on Security to Governor Makinde, Fatai Owoseni, said the Commanders were able to douse the tension in the state capital by appealing to protesters on the need for calm and non-violent engagement.
Owoseni maintained that though the security agencies could see the genuine grievances of the people, they appealed to them to be cautious so that hoodlums and political interests do not hijack their peaceful protests and cause violence and unrest in the state.
“This is just an on-the-spot assessment of the situation in Ibadan. Going round the places, we took off from Aleshinloye area up to Eleyele through junction of Ologuneru up to Ijokodo, Sango, U.I, Agodi here and up to Iwo-Road. And what we have seen is that this really happened in some parts of Ibadan but not the entire town.”
Owoseni assured them that the security chiefs and operatives had put proactive measures in place and would strictly ensure that the peaceful protests embarked on by lawful citizens does not degenerate into a violent one and turn the state into a place where there is no law and order
“It is a delicate thing, which everybody is feeling its impact. These are peasants who just want to earn their livelihood. So, you have to be careful when you are handling a situation such as this. That is why the Security Commandeers have resolved that non-kinetic means will be used and they won’t allow criminals to turn it to a violent one.“
Delta State
Delta State Governor and Vice-Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ifeanyi Okowa also appealed to residents after protests at Orhuwhorun Community in Udu Local Government Area of the state where a bank’s ATM gallery was reportedly burnt.
Governor Okowa’s appeal was contained in a statement released by the State Commissioner for Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu in Asaba.
He called on the people to remain calm while also appealing to the Central Bank of Nigeria and the monetary authorities to take further steps in increasing the money supply in the system.
“We appeal to our brothers and sisters across the state to keep calm in spite of the current travails they are going through as a result of the scarcity of naira notes in the country.
“As a government we are not unaware of your sufferings but we appeal to you to be patient with the monetary authorities as they take steps to improve on the money supply in the country.
“We are very much aware of Your pains and converns, but burning down a bank that employs our people will not augur well for us as a nation even as it will not also solve the problem but will further compound the situation.
“Once again we appeal to you all to sheath your swords while we continue to engage the CBN to ensure more funds are released to the banks in the country,” he stated.
PIAK
