Let me be the first to send my sincere apologies to Muhammadu Buhari. I think every blogger, journalist, analyst and public commentator in Nigeria should do the same. The president has proven that he is unique and un-modellable. People, I wrote many articles here, postulating that Buhari was not fair here and there. But with his position on the new Naira policy, I have come full circle: this man lives in his own world. I mean, there is no place in the history of humans where a president has scored own-goals, de-marketed his party, and caused pains to his team, in the way he has orchestrated for APC due to the new Naira policy.
For him to have done it and doing it, tells me that he does not see things the way most see things. I would have called him names if he was doing this to an opposition party, but doing it to his own party, implies Buhari may not be partisan, etc at the barometer level many have recorded for him.
“I am aware that this new monetary policy has also contributed immensely to the minimization of the influence of money in politics,” Buhari noted.
“The new naira policy is a positive departure from the past and represents a bold legacy step by this administration, towards laying a strong foundation for free and fair elections.”
Indeed, he does not care even if that will hurt him. This man could have redeemed Nigeria with that steely mindset over the last seven years. From El-Rufai (who dares Buhari by declaring old naira notes legal tender in Kaduna, full text on click) to Tinubu (direct appeals which remain unanswered) and indeed everyone (House Speaker speakerism – “The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has described the pronouncement by President Muhammadu Buhari on the naira policy as “disregard” of rule of law because it is short of the order of the Supreme Court”, etc), Buhari has shown an uncommon trait many public commentators have never attributed to him. Indeed, this man belongs to all, but to none. If you think otherwise, explain to me why he wants to make his party a minority party days to a national election.
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.My dear people of Kaduna State,
1. With just about 100 days before leaving office, and elections just round the corner, it was my intention to host another media chat to interact with the people of our state in the next few days. While I still hope to do so, I feel the need to address you all today due to the unprecedentedly cruel situation our people and their livelihoods have been thrown into, particularly in the last two to three weeks by the decisions, actions and inactions of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
2. On behalf of the government of Kaduna State, I wish to express my deepest regret at the needless suffering you are enduring as a result of the prolonged fuel shortage and the difficulties occasioned by the so-called “currency redesign” policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria. We understand your pain. I assure you that as your State Governor, I have been working with my other colleagues to do everything in our power to end these pains.
3. While publicly supporting what appeared to be a beneficial policy, we innocently engaged privately with the President and the leadership of the Central Bank of Nigeria to review the implementation of the policy so as to reduce its negative impact on the lives and livelihoods of our people, and end the pain being inflicted on citizens. In the absence of any progress to modify implementation on the part of the architects, we were forced to go public about two weeks ago, with our concerns and demand that this suffering must stop.
Comment on Feed
Comment 1: Very rarely, if ever actually, have I read a post of yours that began with sarcasm: I have to laugh.
But when you said, “I mean, there is no place in the history of humans where a president has scored own-goals, de-marketed his party, and caused pains to his team, in the way he has orchestrated for APC due to the new Naira policy.” Well, there certainly is and arguably he has done worse. That person being Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa. Under his watch South Africa and his party, the ANC, are crumbling. But that’s there not here; Nigeria that is.
In relation to the currency fumbling there should have been a gradual removal from circulation of the old notes. For example here in Canada as new notes were added to the circulation the notes were gradually removed through time (like through a couple years). Once the drop dead date approached there was massive marketing and advertising advising people still in possession of the old notes to take them to ANY bank to exchange them for new notes…no questions asked.
I’m sure that method is a best-practice – so why couldn’t the same process be followed?
Anyway make sure you all get-out and vote next week.
My Response: while Cyril Ramaphosa could do more, what he is fighting in South Africa did not start today and the issues are not things he can fix on a simple broadcast. Buhari’s case was invented by him and he can end it in 30 seconds, unlike what Cyril is going through. The issues in South Africa have been normalized in Nigeria; they say they have light 6-12 hours in a day; in Nigeria, who has up to 3 hours in a day?
Comment 1R: Ndubuisi Ekekwe ok I’ll give you that. But Cyril made things worse, albeit through years, and he can’t end it in seconds that’s for sure, it’ll take years or a decade or even longer. As you said Buhari can fix it (end it) in 30 seconds. Electricity availability is another beast altogether however.
Comment 2: I already got my popcorn and kunu as I watch this Nigerian movie. I think there’s another twist in this plot. We will see how it all ends. I hope and pray that it will end well for Nigerians. We all need peace and prosperity.
My Response: Indeed, I am truly flummoxed because many things do not make sense
Comment 3: We all claim to be objective (a trait any adult human is incapable of). We all process information via diverse filters. As unpartisan as you try to make your posts to be, the trend, your leaning, doesn’t really do a great job hiding itself. We hear you louder than you intended.
My Response: “your leaning, doesn’t really do a great job hiding itself. We hear you louder than you intended.” – you are 100% wrong. I know the connotation is that Ndubuisi is anti-APC or Tinubu. The fact is this: my village in Abia State is represented by APC 100%. My senator is APC, my House Rep is APC. My state house is APC. My village voted APC in governor (PDP won though). So, your call is flatly wrong. If I change my name to Femi Kunle, you will read new meanings to my post. The issue is that you see “Ndubuisi” before you begin to read! I am apolitical and non-partisan.
Comment 4: Ndubuisi Ekekwe Sir, there are too many explanations political analysts have come up with about the way and manner of Mr. President’s policies. I won’t bore you with them.
There is a higher power in control of Mr. President and that is why he acts the way he does. It is beyond being a man who does things his way. No not all!
Let everyone that cares to know read thus God will yet again show Himself mighty in Nigeria. All hope is not lost. Nigeria shall rise again
El-Rufai Dares Buhari, Declares Old Naira Notes Legal Tender in Kaduna (full text)
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Few things to note, looking at them from the fundamentals:
First, it’s obvious that the idea of naira redesign came from Buhari, and not Emefiele. People were just giving Emefiele plenty credits and chastising him at the same time, but it’s clear that Buhari orchestrated this policy.
Second, why would Buhari do that? Well, if you had been paying attention to Buhari’s idea of politics since 2003, he never liked money politics. This man had wanted to become president in his own way, but Nigerians didn’t let him, he always came short. Then in the build-up to 2015 elections, those who swim in money politics approached him. It was sort of quandary and moral crisis for Buhari: wanting to become president and rejecting the corrupt money that could help actualize it…
And so Buhari went into an alliance with creatures he never liked their way of life, but again, having a chance to become the president was irresistible. During his inaugural speech in 2015, the famous ‘belonging to everybody and nobody’ was thundered, but it wasn’t fully followed through, because he benefited from corrupt money, and that both weakened and confused him.
Then came 2023 elections, Buhari remembered what he was fighting to forget. No cause for alarm.
You are absolutely spot on. The main reason why the old notes phase out is being carried out gradually, is because the target was not originally to give the populace newer notes or a different design (that could have easily been done a couple of years ago) – it was indeed to starve money politics or voting-buying. You see Buhari has long known corrupt politician were stocking up money to buy votes during elections. If he has done a gradual phase out, they would have time to swap the old notes and still buy votes with the newly-designed notes. Doing it so close to the elections and within a short timeframe, has put these corrupt lot in a chaos state and serious dilemma – they suddenly have billions of useless notes in their safes they can’t use for vote buying.
And if they dare come out to swap the whole lot, they will not get the equivalent, as there simply isn’t enough new notes to go round.
With this singular policy, Buhari may have right all of his wrongs, only that Nigerians will realize this after the ‘fair and free’ elections.
The fight back from these politicians should truly be an indicator to where their hearts truly lie.