Opposition Frustrating Govt Efforts To Reduce New Naira Notes Pains — Lai Mohammed

The Minister of Information Alhaji Lai Mohammed on Tuesday accused opposition parties of stifling the efforts by the federal government to reduce the pains caused by the cash swap policy.

The Minister who made the allegation at a press conference in Abuja drew the attention of Nigerians to the court orders seeking to stop the government from doing anything about the deadline for the currency swap.

Mohammed said: “Let me use this opportunity to assure Nigerians that the Federal Government is mindful of the inconveniences currently being endured by citizens as a result of fuel supply disruptions and the recent redesigning of some Naira notes.

“Government is working assiduously to restore normalcy to these critical enablers of economic activity and to take added measures, where necessary, to alleviate the pains of Nigerians.

”Recall, ladies and gentlemen, that after his meeting with Progressives’ Governors on Friday, Mr. President Buhari urged citizens to give him a seven-day window to resolve the currency crunch that has emanated from the implementation of the Naira redesign policy.

“Unfortunately, on Monday (yesterday), some opposition political parties ran to court to obtain an injunction restraining Mr. President and the CBN from extending the Feb. 10 deadline for Nigerians to exchange their old notes for new ones. The court action came after a number of opposition parties threatened to boycott the 2023 general elections if the deadline was extended.

“These curious actions by the parties concerned is clear evidence that the opposition has turned this whole issue into a political game, preferring to make Nigerians suffer more on the altar of unconscionable political gamesmanship. “Or how else can one explain the fact that these unscrupulous opposition parties do not want any action that could reduce the pains being experienced by Nigerians? “How else can one explain the fact that they have decided to legally hamstring Mr President, in particular, from providing any relief for Nigerians suffering from the cash crunch? It is bad politics when you put the interest of desperate political parties over and above that of Nigerians, the same Nigerians whose votes you earnestly seek.

“One thing is sure though: the desperate actions will not save these sinking political parties as voters have already seen that they are the real enemies of the people and not President Muhammadu Buhari or the All Progressive Congress (APC). And despite the antics of the opposition, rest assured, ladies and gentlemen, that the government is willing and able to take decisive steps to bring succour to Nigerians in the shortest possible time.

”Finally, please permit me, on behalf of the Federal Government, to most sincerely congratulate Nigerian Artiste Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, for her 2023 Grammy Award. By dint of hard work and uncommon creativity, Nigerian musicians have continued to take the world by storm and make the country proud. We hope this remarkable achievement by Tems will spur her to greater heights and serve as an inspiration to other artists who are also eyeing the highly-coveted honour.”