President Muhammadu Buhari and the Central Bank governor, Dr. Godwin Emefiele, have been called upon to obey the Supreme Court ruling on the use of the new and old naira notes.
The call was made by a professor of political science at Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Professor Obiekwe Nwanolue, while exchanging views with news men in Onitsha, on Thursday.
Last week, the Supreme Court gave a judgement where it ruled that old banknotes remain legal tender until the end of the year, bringing relief to millions affected by the policy on redesign of the naira notes.
The policy was announced last October and the new notes were released in mid-December.
Delivering the ruling, the justices said not enough notice was given to the public before the old notes were withdrawn and that not enough of the new notes were released, leading to widespread anger and frustration.
The court further held that the unconstitutional use of powers by Buhari on the naira re-designing breached the fundamental rights of the citizens in various ways, adding that such use of powers by the President was not permitted under democracy and was an affront to the constitution.
Speaking on the issue, Prof Nwanolue asked the CBN to direct commercial banks to make cash available for the masses especially now that hardship is the order of the day.
He called on the CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele to resign, as according to him, “since his administration, banking industry in Nigeria, is not moving forward and this, in no small measure, is deeply affecting the nation’s economy, of which the innocent masses are bearing the brunt.”
Professor Nwanolue, called on the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government, to alleviate hardship and poverty in Nigeria.
On the just concluded 25th February Presidential and National Assembly elections, the erudite scholar called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to cancel the Presidential and National Assembly elections of 25th of February, 2023, saying it was characterised by unprecedented fraud, insincerity and lack of transparency, as a result of the INEC’s gross incompetence, untrustworthiness and proven dishonesty.
He therefore called on the INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu to step aside and should not conduct the forthcoming Governorship and State Assembly elections, to avoid colossal repeat of flat disappointments of Nigerians in their efforts of voting their popular candidates, come March 18th, 2023.
“INEC should restore the confidence and integrity people had in them before now, as the recently held corruption-soaked Presidential and National Assembly elections, showed high level of unpreparedness, disorganisation and fraudulent nature of the commission.
“The March 18th Governorship and State Assembly elections, should be a distinction with a difference, by reflecting the will and wishes of the electorates,” he said.
On the issue of scarcity and high cost of petrol in the country, Professor Obiekwe Nwanolue frowned at that and called on the Federal Government to remedy this ugly situation as urgently as possible and reinstate to absolute functionality, all the existing oil refineries in Nigerian.
He said “It is very unfortunate that the so-called giant of Africa imports petrol from other countries, despite the fact that Nigeria is endowed by God with enormous natural resources but mismanagement has been the order of the day.
“The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) and the NEPA is not in the best interest of the Nigerian masses.
“To this end, Federal Government is hereby called upon to reverse the said privatisation in order to alleviate the hardship experienced by the masses, arising from the said privatisation.
“The NNPC and NEPA are very vital to provide essential services to public, at low cost and therefore should be under the control and management of government in the interests of the poor masses.”
