Arewa Youths: Naira Redesign Policy Has Reduced Banditry, Terrorism

•Urge Tinubu to stay away from Matawalle  

• Blast governor for promoting fake news against Emefiele

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The Arewa Youth Assembly (AYA) yesterday lauded the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, over the recent naira redesign policy, insisting that the decision stopped insecurity, curtailed corruption, and dropped the prices of commodity immediately.

In a statement signed by the Publicity Secretary of the group, Alhaji Aliyu Sani, the youths assembly stressed that the problems only returned  after cash started flowing.

“People were no longer safe and bandits hit Zamfara, Kaduna, Minna, and other parts of the country. For this alone, Emefiele should be given a gold medal and celebrated. He helped President Muhammadu Buhari abide by the constitution that states that the security of lives of citizens is paramount,” the group stated.

It also took a swipe at ye Governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle over his reported attack on Emefiele, insisting that the policy was only rejected by people like the governor because of his ‘selfish interest’.

“In all that Emefiele has done with the blessings of the Commander-in-Chief, his activities have been completely transparent and accountable. The records are there.  The world is digital, every naira, every kobo is accounted for how it comes in and how it is spent.

“For the record, even if there were requests for study leave, it is legal. The Public Service Rules make ample provision for the training and development of civil servants, to enhance the officer’s performance, adding value to the Service, and encourage professionalism in the dispatch of their duties (PSR 100223),” the group added.

It maintained that the statement attributed to Matawalle wherein he was quoted as saying: “If the leave has been approved, as reported in the media, the president should cancel it in the interest of peaceful transfer of power, accountability, and good governance” was embarrassing.

 The group wondered that a sitting governor will allow himself to be swayed into believing and acting on a baseless rumour, ‘concocted from the pit of hell’, that  Emefiele had been granted study leave to flee from the country before Bola Tinubu is sworn in.

Stressing that the office of the president, through one of its spokespersons, Mallam Garba Shehu, had denied the existence of the ‘imaginary’ study leave, the youths stated that Matawalle decided to believe in the lies released to the public by an online medium.

“For Matawalle to swallow every content emanating from the media outfit, it shows that their publications on Zamfara alleging that the Matawalle-led government in Zamfara awarded multi-billion naira contracts in Zamfara without following due process is not far from the truth.

“Instead of him to be afraid of his fate when he leaves office, he is more concerned about the destiny of Mr. Emefiele who is serving Nigerians diligently.

“We wish to challenge Matawalle to make public the number of persons kidnapped in Zamfara state when the naira was not in excessive circulation and the reintroduction of the naira following his pyrrhic victory in court that forced the CBN to recirculate naira notes.

“If he can answer this in public, Nigerians will know who has the solution to the problem of insecurity in the country,” it added.

As a governor, the group stated that Matawalle has failed to guarantee the right to life provided for in the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) in Sec 33, which clearly states that every person has a right to life and Article 3 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights that states that everyone has a right to life, liberty, and security.

“Your failure to provide security in the state has halted educational activities, with the closure of schools. At least 75 secondary schools in the state are still shut because of security, tagging the state as an educationally backward state.

“Zamfara state has a total of 61.4 per cent of children out of school, with boys at 57.4 per cent and girls at 66 per cent.

“Zamfara is one of the poorest states in the world and the poorest in Nigeria. A report by the national social registry stated that Zamfara has the highest number of poor and vulnerable people in Nigeria, with a record of 3,836,484 people from 825,337 households.

“While you couldn’t do anything about the situation of your people, Emefiele was busy working hard, feeding the nation, your people inclusive, boosting the economy by impacting all sectors,” it stated.

It listed some of the programmes as; Anchor Borrowers’ Programme, Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme, CBN’s Intervention Programmes and Schemes for MSMEs, CBN’s Intervention Programmes and Schemes for Manufacturing, CBN’s Intervention Programmes and Schemes for Export.

“This has helped in increasing revenue generation outside crude oil, thus helping this administration to actualise its diversification agenda, creation of employment, alleviating poverty, and recreating Nigeria’s image before the world,” the youths contended.

The group also called  call on President-elect, Tinubu to note that the North voted for him when the sound of gunshots from bandits went silent, urging him to stay far from the Zamfara state governor.

“Insecurity is the reason why our people rejected the PDP, we saw a workable solution to our number one problem. If he chose to rally obvious failures like Matawalle around him, we will sadly accept that he has failed before his inauguration and nothing good will be expected from his tenure.

“The North has many qualified and respectable persons that will fit into the presidency of Tinubu, Bello Matawalle is not part of them,” the youths maintained.