Even as President Muhammadu Buhari has graciously granted the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) permission to extend the deadline for the old naira notes to seize to be a legal tender in Nigeria, the governor of Kaduna state, Nasir El-Rufai has blamed the President for giving approval for the naira redesign in the first place.
He also blamed some of the government policies including the naira redesign and persistent fuel scarcity in the country on 5th Columnist, saying that naira redesign and persistent fuel scarcity may cause unrest in the country.
El-Rufai who was a guest on Channels Television breakfast programme Sunrise Daily on Wednesday, said that the policy of currency redesign at this moment is the idea of few people in the Presidential Villa, Abuja, adding that it was never the policy of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Said he: The policy of currency redesign is the idea of few people in the Presidential Villa. APC never promised Naira redesign. This is not the right time to embark on such exercise because most part of the areas in Nigeria have no banking facilities”.
The former Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) also insists that the naira redesign and fuel scarcity across Nigeria is the handiwork of the 5th Columnist, saying that they want to bring down the government of APC.
“I must say that the naira redesign and fuel scarcity is the handiwork of 5th Columnist because they want to bring the country down, otherwise why must redesigning of naira will be the priority of the federal government at this time”, he posited.
El-Rufai who is a prominent member and co-founder of APC also alleged that most of the people in the Presidential Villa are not APC members hence some of the policies they are churning out from time to time even those that will hurt APC.
Asked if he is not using his close relationship with President Buhari to make suggestions on how to solve some national issues, El-Rufai dismissed it with the wave of the hand, saying that he cannot remember when he has made suggestions that were accepted.
“I stopped going to Presidential Villa four years ago. What is the use when every suggestion you bring will not be accepted.
” I rather stayed back solving the problems of my state (Kaduna) which I believe will be more important to me and my people. I don’t go to the Presidential Villa anymore”.
