Tobias Sylvester
The Senate Chief Whip, Orji Uzor Kalu has revealed that he’s also affected by the naira redesign policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Kalu, a former Governor of Abia state and senator representing Abia North in the national assembly, disclosed this on a Channels Television program on Monday.
According to him, the naira scarcity has brought suffering to him and his family, stressing that recently, they could not get enough money to cook food.
He said, “You can see the policy is right but I don’t keep money in my house. I am suffering.
“The other day, my house manager told my wife in Abuja that we have no money to cook food. My wife was virtually roaming around and we feed over 250 people every day. It is a problem to me and to everybody.”
While the Supreme Court ruled that the old N1,000, N500, and N200 banknotes were still valid, President Muhammadu Buhari last week only extended the usage of the N200 notes till April 10, 2023, rendering others as non-legal tenders.
The move did not go well with several governors especially those of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) who maintain that the old banknotes should be used in their states.
Weighing into the matter, Kalu towed a similar line as the governors, arguing that he would have obeyed the Supreme Court’s order on the naira notes if he were the Nigerian president.
“This is why if I am in the position of the Mr President as I have told you before, I will listen to the Supreme Court judgement.
“The Supreme Court to me, whether they are right or wrong, Mr President should obey the law and ask his Attorney General to put a review to the Supreme Court,” the senator said, adding that the cash crunch won’t affect APC’s chances of winning the presidential election.
Meanwhile, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has accused the first lady, Aisha Buhari, of spreading fake news against her husband, President Muhammadu Buhari.
