Alhaji Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, the All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain in Zamfara, has urged the Federal Government to uphold the Supreme Court’s decision and allow Nigerians to use the old Naira notes alongside the redesigned notes.
Shinkafi made the appeal while speaking to journalists in Gusau on Friday, urging President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to uphold the rule of law.
Shinkafi said: “President Muhammadu Buhari must respect the Supreme Court’s verdict and allow both the new and old Naira notes to exist concurrently until Dec. 31 as the court ordered.
“Since the Supreme Court has ruled that the old and the New Naira notes remained legal tender, there is nobody in the country, no matter how highly placed, can violate the order.
“I am calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to respect the court order and quickly instruct the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to release the notes back into circulation,” Shinkafi said.
He also urged the Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) to release both new and old notes as ordered by the court.
Shinkafi lamented how the New Naira notes policy had negatively affected many Nigerians whom he said had been languishing in poverty since the introduction of the cashless policy.
He said the President was not properly advised by the CBN Governor, Mr Godwin Emeifele.
“This is not how advanced countries changed their currencies,” he said.
According to the politician, the United States of America, the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia used systematic and gradual means to replace their currencies without any expiration date.
“There has been changing of currencies in countries like USA, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia and other advanced countries but they don’t abruptly stop old notes from circulation.