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By Ikhili Ebalu, Benin City
As Nigerians grapple with the excruciating pains of currency redesign amidst fuel scarcity and hike in pump price, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in Edo State, Mr. John Mayaki has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to watchout for saboteurs within and outside his government to avoid plunging the country into an unimaginable crisis as we prepare for the 2023 elections.
Mayaki in a statement in Benin City on Monday said “it’s unfortunate we haven’t learnt any lessons from ‘EndSARS’ protest, adding that if care is not taken, the country could erupt in another unimaginable crisis over the poor implementation of the Naira redesign policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) under the watch of Mr. Godwin Emefiele.
“As it stands today”, Mayaki said, “all fingers point to a suspicious agenda to derail the country by some persons within the corridors of power working in cohort with the candidate of the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Alh. Atiku Abubakar to blackmail the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as anti-Nigerians to win the votes of gullible Nigerians in the February 25th presidential election.
“Nigerians should not forget that when Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike lost his party presidential primary last year, he told Nigerians that some persons in Aso Rock were behind the candidate of the PDP, Alh. Atiku Abubakar and I have no doubt that it is these same ‘elements’ that the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El Rufai spoke about in his recent interview purportedly in connivance with the CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele who also attempted to contest the presidential primaries of the APC and now a willing tool to sabotage and undermine the achievements of the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration and plunge the country into crisis.
“Nigerians see Emefiele as an interested party in this election and had expected him to resign his office after failing to actualise his presidential ambition as CBN Governor but he got the support of these ‘elements in the presidency’ to continue in office, so as to stop the candidate of the ruling party, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu.
“We are not unaware of the failed plot to foist an unpopular candidate on the party during the presidential primaries of our great party by these “elements” so as to give the candidate of the opposition an easy ride at the polls. They invented several unknown formulas – wanted Mr. President to anoint an unpopular candidate in an undemocratic manner but they failed.
“These were the same ‘elements’ who never bulged when our Universities were shutdown and future leaders rot away at home just to blackmail the ruling party towards the election. They didn’t stop there – they went ahead to engineer fuel scarcity to inflict suffering on Nigerians just to paint the government of President Muhammadu Buhari in bad light for their anti-Nigerian agenda to succeed but they failed – the more they try, the more they failed.
“Today, the presidential candidate of the opposition party, Alh. Atiku Abubakar and his party, the PDP are happy that Nigerians are suffering and groaning in pains because they found willing tools in the government and outside the government to blackmail the ruling party just as the CBN Governor was quoted as saying that he was ready to “fight” to make sure he forces the unhealthy implementation of the Naira redesign policy down the throat of Nigerians.
“As we speak, Nigerians are grappling with this hardship – courtesy Godwin Emefiele, Atiku Abubakar and the Aso Rock ‘Elements’ and it’s good to warn that if the Muhammadu Buhari administration fails to urgently address this hardship, the country could soon erupt in another round of “EndSARS” – the signs are ominous.
“I want to call on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately act to arrest the ongoing hardship in the country – he should act now and without any further delay”, he said.
While cataloging the various ugly incidents across the country as a result of the naira redesign and scout for the new notes, Mayaki said, “So far, someone reportedly died in the bank in Delta state; Wema bank, Agodi Ibadan in Oyo State was vandalised by angry bank customers; customers almost broke their heads with bank steel protective rods in another bank, – the video is gone viral; a man stripped himself naked in the bank, crying “give me my money, let me go”; a woman stripped herself to her underwear in another bank shouting, “I am not doing again, give me my money, I want to close my account among several other violent protest in Delta State, Edo State, Oyo State, Lagos State, Enugu State, Plateau State, Benue State among others.
“Mr. President, the frustration has reached the climax and a breaking point – Nigerians are experiencing untold hardship especially in the villages where there are no Banks – even where there are banks, the situation remains the same in the midst of fuel scarcity and hike in pump price – this is clear economic sabotage by those who have sworn to themselves to bring government down and discredit the achievements of the APC-led federal government. Mr. President needs to act without further delay!”.
