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Nigerians Lambast Emefiele on Shift of Old Naira Notes Deadline
There has been much controversy surrounding the redesigning of certain denominations of the naira, Nigeria’s national legal tender.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had unveiled a policy for the redesign of the N200, N500 and N1000 currency notes in Q4, 2022 and set a January 31, 2023 deadline for the old currencies to be cut-off the legal tender list in Nigeria.
The policy had attracted the attention of various segments of the society, with attendant media blitz and theatricals, with notable political actors – serving and aspiring inclusive, taking turns to have their say.
While that raged, the CBN, through its governor, Godwin Emefiele, maintained that it’s actions were thoroughly thought out, and backed by the highest authority in the land, so the January 31 date would not be shifted.
The apex went ahead to engage the public through Short Message Services (SMS) and market-storms across the federation to warn the public sternly that it was dead serious.
Well-meaning Nigerians took sides with apex bank, because it canvassed that it was targeted at curbing ‘oppression’, instilling sanity and sanitizing cash within the Nigerian economy.
While elected state governors sought the attention of and met with the apex bank on this to no avail, the National Assembly weighed-in with resolutions, after summons to Emefiele went unheeded.
The Senate in resolution, passed in panic resolved that the deadline for the old notes to stop being legal tender be shifted to June 31, 2023. (The month of June has only 30 days!).
The Senate in a video that has gone viral on social media was seen debating the need for a shift of the January 31 date to the middle of the year on the grounds that rural Nigeria lacked necessary infrastructure to meet the set deadline.
Senate President Ahmed Lawan ruled in favour of the “ayes” at the end of the debate and voting to uphold the Upper Chamber’s position that the January 31 date be shifted.
The House of Representatives on its part, summoned Emefiele, who shunned the summon, for what many thought was a desire to keep to the set dates, with Speaker, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajamiala threating to issue a warrant of arrest against Emefiele.
In an interesting scenario, Emefiele, took refuge under President Muhammadu Buhari, running to the Presidential Villa on regular basis to seek validation or endorsement for the policy, as the drama was unfolding.
So well did Emefiele act his script that the public was taken-in that he was acting President Buhari’s script. This make-believe played out, even on Sunday, when the governor announced that President Buhari had approved, a 10-day extension and a 7-day grace period, which terminate on February 10, and February 17 respectively.
The first cut-off date, of February 10 applies to the commercial banks and other agents mandated by the CBN to facilitate the collection of the old notes in exchange for the new currency notes. However, the grace period is in compliance with legal provision for the apex bank to mop-up what would have been left after the others would have delivered on the policy as spelt out.
It appears that members of the public could not hide their disappointment at the apex bank for succumbing to cheap blackmail from the political class, despite the banks, having been perceived to have sold out by ‘trading-off’ the new notes, which occasioned its scarcity in the economy.
In a series of tweets and Facebook posts, Nigerian’s expressed dismay that the date had to be shifted after a lot had been invested into the making the policy work.
Kayode Ogunwale, would not buy into the shift in day, because to him, it would not solve any problem.
He wrote, “what we need is availability of new naira notes. Extension cannot solve the problem.”
In what points to connivance by commercial banks against the apex bank and the populace, by ‘trading off’ printed new currency notes to people of means and political actors, Media Personality, Uzo Maxim Nwatu, decried that the new notes were being re-routed.
He stated, “The new Naira of the CBN is missing road and entering ‘fiam’ into Big Men’s homes.”
On his part, Jide Ojo, decried the torture of the old notes being rejected by even reputable businesses well before the cut-off date, because they believed Emefiele and his CBN were a serious bunch.
Ojo lamented, “Walahi! It’s no longer funny! This morning I took my old Naira notes received from POS yesterday to make a purchase at a big supermarket in my area, only to be told that they no longer take the old Naira notes.”
With the postponement, said to be with President Buhari’s approval, people like Ojo can heave a sigh of relief, hoping that the 10-day extension would be enough for those in charge to discharge on the policy professionally.
Following the marginal reduction of the pump prices of premium motor spirit (PMS) by the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and the Nigerian National Petrol Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), civil society groups have reacted by calling for further downward review.
Recall that the Dangote Petroleum Refinery had announced a partnership with MRS Oil and Gas to offer petrol at N935 per litre at retail outlets, while it reviewed the ex-depot price from N970 to N899.50 per litre.
The move, saw state oil major, the Nigeria National Petroleum Company peg its retail prices at N965/litre.
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However, the civil society groups are of the opinion that the price reduction, fall short of expectations.
According to the Chairman, Centre for Accountability and Open Leadership, Debo Adeniran, the reduced price of N935/litre was still expensive and unsatisfactory.
He pointed out that petrol was just one of the products coming out of crude and that both government and private business could still give out free petrol to citizens while making huge profits from the other products.
In his words, “Well, we believe that if NNPC and the private sector actually give out PMS for free, they will still not run their business at a loss, because the other derivatives of petroleum products can still serve them, and can still make them to break even. So, even at that N900 and something, it’s still expensive.
“Dangote has kind of mooted the idea that it could drop to as low as N650. And if he has mulled this, then it means that it is the state, it is the NNPC that will have been the clog in the wheel of such progress. And you know also that we expected that fuel prices, especially PMS prices, will drop below N200 when Dangote was expected to come on stream.
“So, it’s unfortunate that we are still talking about over N900 and they want us to jump up and rejoice for that. That is not satisfactory. They should just let us see the breakdown of their production cost and why it’s still there. I mean, there are countries like Libya under Gaddafi that gave out PMS for free and they didn’t run anything at any loss. So, I believe that it can still go further down.”
On his part, the Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Ibrahim Rafsanjani, commended the reduction of fuel prices by the NNPC and Dangote, but said the government could still reduce the price.
“Dangote’s own is about N899 or something like that. Well first and foremost, we are happy that there is a little reduction in the prices. But also based on analysis and based on facts and evidences, we believe that it is possible for the Nigerian government to further reduce the prices.
“Because if a private company can reduce the price and it still makes profit, we wonder why government-owned enterprises cannot really pity its citizens,” he said.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has announced a significant growth in the country’s economy, with a 3.46% increase in gross domestic product (GDP) in the third quarter of 2024.
This marks the third consecutive quarter of expansion, up from 3.19% in Q2 2024 and 2.54% in Q3 2023.
According to the newly published Q3 economic report, Nigeria’s GDP output rose to ₦20.115 trillion, reflecting a notable improvement from ₦18.285 trillion in the previous quarter.
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The CBN attributed this growth primarily to the performance of the non-oil sector, which grew by 3.37% compared to 2.80% in Q2 2024.
The report highlighted transportation, crop production, and other sub-sectors such as financial & insurance services, information & communication, trade, and real estate as major contributors to the expansion.
The non-oil sector accounted for 3.18 percentage points of the total growth rate.
“The expansion of the non-oil sector was driven by the performance of the financial & insurance, information & communication, crop production, trade, transportation & storage, and real estate sub-sectors,” the report stated.
Despite the economic growth, challenges persist. Inflation, particularly in food prices, remains a significant concern, standing at 39.93% as of November 2024.
Rising food and energy costs have also impacted transportation expenses, with intercity bus fares increasing by 20.23% year-on-year to ₦7,117.17 in July 2024, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
Furthermore, the cost of petroleum, now exceeding ₦1,000 per litre, has driven up logistics and transportation expenses, adding pressure to households and businesses alike.
The CBN acknowledged these challenges, noting that the growth was achieved despite headwinds such as high inflation and rising operational costs.
Enhanced security measures in the Niger Delta have boosted domestic crude oil production, while restrictive monetary policies have helped moderate inflation in some areas.
“The growth recorded in the country is a result of continued efforts to improve the business environment, streamline cumbersome business processes, and deepen the quality of business infrastructure,” the CBN noted.
However, the report comes amid concerns over businesses exiting Nigeria due to persistent economic challenges.
Asharami Synergy, a leading downstream energy solutions provider, has demonstrated its commitment to community development and education by donating essential furniture to Gaskiya Junior School in Ijora, Lagos, Nigeria.
Biztellers reports that the social responsibility initiative was executed in collaboration with Sahara Group Foundation – the social impact vehicle of global energy conglomerate, Sahara Group.
It was gathered that the initiative is part of Asharami Synergy’s ongoing efforts to support education in communities.
The donation includes classroom desks and chairs for the JSS1 classes.
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CEO of Asharami Synergy, Nomnso Dike, said the project will create a more comfortable and functional learning environment and enhance student performance.
“We are delighted at the opportunity to support the attainment of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, which focuses on ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education. It has been a privilege to collaborate with the management and students of Gaskiya Junior School to deliver this project, and we look forward to future opportunities to enhance academic performance in this historic institution,” Dike said.
According to him, Asharami Synergy’s education-focused social impact initiatives have benefitted over 10,000 individuals. They focus on building capacity and providing the resources necessary to help students learn and grow sustainably.
“Education is the foundation of a brighter future, and at Asharami Synergy, we believe that every child deserves a learning environment that inspires and empowers them” he noted, adding, “This donation is not just about providing furniture; it’s a reminder to the students that their dreams are valid, and we are committed to helping them achieve their goals.”
Vice Principal Academic of Gaskiya Junior School, Sola Oladokun, commended Asharami Synergy for the donation, noting that it would inspire students to perform better with “increased concentration and fewer distractions”.
“These desks and chairs are a game-changer for our students. It’s heartwarming to see their excitement, and as teachers, we are equally thrilled because this will make teaching and learning more effective. We are incredibly grateful to Asharami Synergy and Sahara Group Foundation for this thoughtful intervention,” she added.
Two representatives of the students, Akin Moses and Chukwudi Gift, at the event said the donation would increase their “desire to dream bigger and concentrate better during lessons”.
Also speaking at the commissioning, COO at Asharami Synergy, Adekanmi Adesola, said, “What started as an opportunity to support the communities that host our operations has now come full circle. This donation directly impacts the lives of these students, and we are proud to bring smiles to the faces of the students and teachers.”
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