Group urges FG to address Naira scarcity before elections

By Our Correspondent

Resources Centre for Human Rights & Civic Education, CHRICED, has called on the Federal Government to address the issue of scarcity of Naira notes and premium motor spirit as well as other issues threatening the existence of the country before the 2023 general elections.

The organisation warned that failure to resolve the issues may not augur well for the country.

CHRICED's Executive Director, Dr Zikirullahi Ibrahim, said this during a state of the nation briefing, themed ‘Nigeria and its season of multiple miseries’, held in Abuja, the nation's capital.

According to him, Nigeria has found itself at a crossroad and silence in any form is neither strategic nor golden at this point owing to the perceived inability of the authorities to address the country’s problems.

He called on Nigerians to rise to the occasion, reset the country and breathe new life into it by electing the right leaders come February 25.

Ibrahim said, "Disturbing pictures of Nigerians in a life and death struggle to obtain the new Naira notes from banks and Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) have become commonplace across the country. 

"While ordinary people do not have access to the new bank notes, provocative videos of partygoers spraying bundles of the new notes have surfaced on social media. 

"Until now, the relevant law enforcement agencies have deemed it unnecessary to investigate how such large amounts of the new currency shown in those social media videos ended up in the hands of those individuals who were using them to show off, while most citizens endured long queues just to get some cash.

"CHRICED believes that the welfare and well-being of millions of Nigerians should be the most important consideration driving all government’s policies and programs. 

"As a result, well-meaning individuals and organizations who are aware of the implications of Nigeria's current crisis must speak out. This is a necessary part of our patriotic duty to bring an end to the hardships faced by the Nigerian people."

On the 2023 general elections, Ibrahim said that from insecurity to the turmoil in the economy and to the lack of jobs for those willing and ready to work, there are more than enough reasons for all registered Nigerians to come out in good numbers on Election Day to exercise their democratic rights.