The majority of attendees at the Council of State meeting that President Muhammadu Buhari called on Friday at the Presidential Villa supported the Federal Government’s naira redesign policy.
However, the meeting, which was physically attended by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, former President Goodluck Jonathan, former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, and General Yakubu Gowon, advised Buhari to consider making the old naira notes available in the interim if the Central Bank of Nigeria, the policy’s implementer, cannot easily make the new naira notes available to the public.
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, along with the Governors of Taraba and Lagos States, Darius Ishaku and Babajide Sanwo-Olu, alternated in revealing details of the meeting’s proceedings.
Ishaku said the Council of State members made it clear that the policy is accepted and has come to stay but that the resistance of the populace to its introduction was also not misplaced.
According to Ishaku, the Council acknowledged that at the beginning people resist a policy even though it is good.
He said the Council which only plays an advisory role observed that the problem was that of implementation, considering that the majority of Nigerians are subjected to suffering.
Asked what was the major position of the President, who is at the centre of the policy, the Taraba Governor said the President directed state governments to go to their respective states to proffer solutions, by way of ensuring that they help to ease the tensions being experienced in the country.
On the level of preparations for the general elections set to kick off February 25th and March 11th respectively. The AGF, Malami said the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) gave enough assurance that nothing can hinder the Commission from going ahead with the elections.
He said the Inspector General of Police, Alkali Baba equally gave assurance that its men and officers were ready to support the Commission to see that the polls go hitch-free.
The position of the Federal Government was also corroborated by Governor Sanwo-Olu who said the policy stands but that the Council agreed that there was a need for aggressive action with regard to the provision of the new currency.