Naira scarcity: Ganduje describes CBN policy as COVID-23

Governor Umar Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State has described the cashless policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, as COVID-23.

Lamenting the hardship occasioned by the scarcity of cash, which followed the redesigning of N200, N500 and N1000 notes, the governor, who had kicked against the policy, said, “our citizens are being faced with COVID-23”.

Ganduje was speaking while distributing palliatives to the 44 local government areas of the state in a bid to cushion the effects of the CBN Redesigning Program.

He said, “Today our citizens are facing COVID-23 caused by the CBN. We earlier thought it was a simple disease, but unfortunately it turned out to be a very serious virus going viral.

“The virus coming from the CBN affected all our commercial banks, ATM machines, our POS and all other things associated with this. Being the most populous state in the country, we are most affected by this policy.

“We didn’t invite this situation, nor did we pray for it. And therefore we don’t welcome it at all. We gave similar palliatives during COVID-19 days”.

Ganduje and other governors elected under the platform of the All Progressives Congress had, despite President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive banning the old N500 and N1000 notes, vowed to reverse the policy.