Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, says his plum office and exalted position has not made him impervious to the difficulty and hardship occasioned by the naira redesign policy of the federal government.
He disclosed that the continuous scarcity of the new naira notes is inflicting hardship on the people, saying even as a governor, he does not have the new naira notes.
The governor spoke while addressing CBN officials in his office on Monday.
He stated that he has been deploying state network to douse tension and ensure safety of banks and the CBN state office.
He called on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to sanction financial institutions involved in such anti-people activities.
“The situation is getting out of hand. The CBN must act fast. Any bank hoarding the new notes must be sanctioned. We should not treat such banks with kid gloves.”
“My people are patient but we should not take their patience for granted. That is why I called for this meeting. Why is the new notes not available? Is the supply small or inadequate? “, the Governor querried.
He expressed his administration’s readiness to partner with the CBN for the currency swap, informing the CBN team that the state is sacrificing a lot to maintain peace and calm frayed nerves.
“The new notes are not available. Even as a State Governor, I don’t have the new notes. You can see how hard it is for our people to access the new currency if their Governor is not getting them. We should not overstretch the cooperation we are enjoying from the citizenry.
We are expected as elected and appointed leaders to respond to the needs and aspirations of our people “, Governor Adeleke admonished.