Information Minister blames Opposition Parties behind Naira Scarcity Frustration

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party and other opposition parties of stifling the efforts by the Federal Government to re­duce the pains caused by the cash swap policy.

The minister, who made the allegation at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, February 7, 2023, drew the attention of Nigerians to the court orders seeking to stop the government from doing anything about the deadline for the curren­cy swap.

Mohammed said: “Let me use this opportunity to assure Nigerians that the Federal Government is mindful of the inconve­niences currently being en­dured by citizens as a result of fuel supply disruptions and the recent redesigning of some naira notes.

“Government is work­ing assiduously to restore normalcy to these critical enablers of economic activ­ity and to take added mea­sures, where necessary, to alleviate the pains of Ni­gerians.

“Recall, ladies and gentlemen, that after his meeting with Progressives’ Governors on Friday, Mr. President Buhari urged citizens to give him a sev­en-day window to resolve the currency crunch that has emanated from the im­plementation of the naira redesign policy.

“Unfortunately, on Mon­day (yesterday), some oppo­sition political parties ran to court to obtain an injunc­tion restraining Mr. Presi­dent and the CBN from extending the February 10 deadline for Nigerians to exchange their old notes for new ones. The court action came after a number of op­position parties threatened to boycott the 2023 general elections if the deadline was extended.

“These curious actions by the parties concerned is clear evidence that the opposition has turned this whole issue into a political game, preferring to make Nigerians suffer more on the altar of unconscionable political gamesmanship.

“Or how else can one explain the fact that these unscrupulous opposition parties do not want any ac­tion that could reduce the pains being experienced by Nigerians? “How else can one explain the fact that they have decided to legally hamstring Mr. Pres­ident, in particular, from providing any relief for Nigerians suffering from the cash crunch? It is bad politics when you put the interest of desperate polit­ical parties over and above that of Nigerians, the same Nigerians whose votes you earnestly seek.

“One thing is sure though: the desperate ac­tions will not save these sinking political parties as voters have already seen that they are the real ene­mies of the people and not President Muhammadu Buhari or the All Progres­sives Congress (APC). And despite the antics of the opposition, rest assured, ladies and gentlemen, that the government is willing and able to take decisive steps to bring succour to Nigerians in the shortest possible time.

“Finally, please permit me, on behalf of the Fed­eral Government, to most sincerely congratulate Ni­gerian Artiste Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, for her 2023 Gram­my Award. By dint of hard work and uncommon cre­ativity, Nigerian musicians have continued to take the world by storm and make the country proud. We hope this remarkable achieve­ment by Tems will spur her to greater heights and serve as an inspiration to other artists who are also eyeing the highly-coveted honour.”