Naira crisis: HURIWA calls for Buhari’s resignation

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria has asked the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to turn in his resignation letter to prevent the collapse of the economy because of the challenges arising from the naira redesign policy.

In a statement signed by the group’s Executive Director, Emmanuel Onwubiko, on Tuesday, HURIWA slammed Buhari and the Governor of the Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele, for deserting Nigerians in the middle of a cash crunch crisis, adding that both the president and the CBN governor had impoverished Nigerians, and put the country on “autopilot.”

“The CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele and President Muhammadu Buhari have sadly impoverished Nigerians with a needless naira redesign policy that they used as a political tool against their opponents.

“Alas! Nigeria is in on autopilot mood. The Supreme Court makes a judgment, President Buhari took off for a globetrotting gambit in Qatar, while the CBN governor maintained sealed lips as millions of Nigerians wallow in an excruciating cash crunch. If President Muhammadu Buhari is God fearing and is a statesman as he claims, then he had better turn in his resignation letter immediately to stave off the imminent economic collapse of Nigeria under his watch.”

Recall that Buhari, in a national broadcast, had directed the apex bank to release old N200 notes into circulation, to co-exist with new N200, N500, and N1,000 banknotes for 60 days to end on April 10, 2023, while stating that old N500 and N1,000 banknotes ceased to be legal tender in Nigeria.

However, the apex court on Friday, after hearing a case filed by sixteen state governors, led by the governors of Kaduna, Kogi, and Zamfara states, praying the apex court to void and set aside the policy, on the ground that it was inflicting hardships on innocent Nigerians, voided the president’s declaration as well as the naira redesign deadline issued by the CBN.

The group said the president and the CBN governor had left Nigerians confused, and commercial banks directionless, as to whether to follow the Supreme Court order, or the declaration of the president that old N500 and N1,000 notes are no longer valid and that old N200 will stop being a legal tender on April 10, 2023.

“The President and the CBN governor have left Nigerians confused with their posture, and now the country is on an autopilot mood as commercial banks are directionless as to whether to follow the Supreme Court order, or the declaration of the President that old N500 and N1,000 notes are no longer valid, and that old N200 will stop being a legal tender on April 10, 2023.”

HURIWA also alleged that the president, who is also the Minister of Petroleum, had left motorists in long queues across the country, to be extorted by criminally minded petroleum products distributors, noting that the masses suffered the brunt of the needless political wars between Emefiele and his political detractors in the ruling All Progressives Congress.

The group demanded an end to the economic and monetary policy under Buhari, “as it has already caused imaginary inflation.”