It has been revealed what former President Olusegun Obasanjo told President Muhammadu Buhari during last Friday’s Council of State meeting held in Abuja.
Buhari had summoned the Council to discuss and advise on some critical national interest matters which include the forthcoming general elections and the attending hardship in the wake of naira redesigned policy by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Writing in his weekly opinion piece, Mr Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to President Buhari on Media and Publicity, revealed for the first time since the Council of State meting, the contribution of ex-president Obasanjo who has been a known critic of the president since he assumed power in 2015.
Adesina writes of Obasanjo’s response to the report of the CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele on the gains of naira redesign and steps being taken to address the untold hardship by Nigerians: “Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who has been hypercritical of President Buhari for years, said change was necessary from time to time, and was also bound to be opposed.
He gave examples with the change of driving from the right to the left lane in the early 1970s, which was robustly opposed. The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme, he said was also resisted. He then submitted:
“We enjoy all these things today. I’ve experienced currency change at least more than half a dozen times. When we increased feeding in universities from 50 kobo to N1, it led to ‘Ali Must Go’ riots. Resistance to change is normal, and people will always support, oppose, or be neutral. The naira change policy is good, but implementation is the issue. If there’s inadequate supply, let’s have more. If there are unscrupulous people sabotaging the policy, let’s deal with them.”
The former military head of state and civilian President said the naira policy “will bring little bit of sanity into our elections, have salutary effect on kidnapping and ransom taking, and corruption will be substantially reduced, as money passed through the banking system can be traced.”
On the briefing by INEC Chairman, Chief Obasanjo said: “Mr President, I commend your effort on preparedness. I wish the country free, fair, credible polls. It will be an example to other countries in West Africa, and in Africa.”
Almost all the Governors in attendance commended the naira redesign policy but picked holes in the implementation. The same with President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila.
The meeting ended on a hopeful note that Nigeria would get its elections right, and also correct all the lapses in the naira redesign policy, which is being done now with the decision of the President to let the old N200 note remain a legal tender till April 10, 2023.
