The Kano State government has written a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari, asking him to postpone his visit to the state due to security reasons caused by the currency swap crisis.
The president was scheduled to visit the state between January 30 and 31, to commission some projects built by the Governor Abdullahi Ganduje’s administration.
However, during an interactive session which feature scholars, legislators, political leaders and business community in the state, held in Government House on Friday, the decision to write the postpone the visit was taken.
According to a press statement by Malam Abba Anwar, the Chief press Secretary to Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, the decision which was endorsed by critical stakeholders in the state is said to have been taken to avoid any unforeseen circumstance.
During the meeting with sections of citizens in the state, they accepted that, the decision was a unanimous one. As they all spoke in support of the letter sent to Presidency.
According to the report, two serving Senators from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Kabiru Ibrahim Gaya and Barau Jibrin, 20 members of the state House of Representatives and 30 legislators from the State House of Assembly were amongst the groups that put their weight behind the governor.
The statement reads in parts: “Deeply concerned with the hardship caused by limited time given for halting use of old Naira notes by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and for security reasons, the Kano State governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, reveals that the state resolved and wrote to Presidency that, the visit of the President to commission some projects be postponed.
“As we are waiting for this important visit, we found ourselves in this situation, which puts citizens into untold hardship. For security purpose we wrote to Presidency that President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to Kano be postponed.
“We got an acknowledgement copy of the letter. People are really suffering because of this policy.
“There are no banks in most of our rural communities. How these people get new Naira notes is of great concern. Just look at what is happening in our urban areas, people go and spend hours upon hours in banks. And without any assurances of getting the new notes.”
Even at Point of Sales (POS) according to the governor, one cannot transact with ease, hinting that, many of them closed shops due to uncertainty.
“Kano being a commercial hub must be heard loudly, insisting that, “This problem affects all of us. Therefore our voice must be heard in all nooks and crannies. We are a commercial hub. As such our position must be loud and clear.”
In Kano, according to him, the government calls leaders of all sections of people around, whenever situation like this arises.
Revealing that, “We invited scholars who were here yesterday. And today we are having this interactive sessions with you business community and our legislators.
“Governor Ganduje would take representatives from sections of the populace to go and see President Buhari and hear from them verbatim to revalidate the position of Kano people,” as contained in the letter sent.
Story!
These ones don’t even have an idea what the fuel, naira and economic hardship Nigerians are facing looks like…
One phone call, Ganduje’s account officer will come running with 30m worth of New naira notes in whatever denomination he needs.