A northern group, Arewa Youth Assembly, has said the Naira redesign programme initiated by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) grounded activities of the bandits in the North and stem the spate of attacks of insurgents in the region.
The group, in a statement signed by Alhaji Aliyu Sani, its publicity secretary, disclosed this in reaction to a statement credited to the Zamfara State governor, Bello Matawalle, wherein he called for the arrest of CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, after the tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari on May 29.
The group, while defending the naira redesign introduced by Emefiele, challenged Matawalle to make public the number of persons kidnapped in Zamfara State when the naira was not in excessive circulation and when the old notes were reintroduced following the pyrrhic victory in court.
Matawalle had, in the statement, asked President Buhari to cancel the purported study leave granted by Emefiele in the interest of peaceful transfer of power, accountability and good governance.
But the Arewa Youth Assembly said it was embarrassing that a sitting governor will allow himself to be swayed into believing and acting on a baseless rumour, adding that he should have believed the spokesperson of the presidency, Mallam Garba Shehu, who denied the existence of the imaginary study leave.
The group asked Matawalle to be afraid of the fate that awaits him when he leaves office on May 29, rather than concern himself with the destiny of Emefiele, who it said, served 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.
“The governor that has failed his people and the North in terms of security, education, economy and infrastructural development ought not to be heard discussing the national issue.
“As a governor, you have failed to guarantee the right to life provided for in the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) in Section 33, which clearly states that every person has a right to life and Article 3 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights that states 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 insecurity, tagging the state as an educationally backward state. Zamfara State has a total of 61.4 percent of children out of school, with boys at 57.4 percent and girls at 66 percent.
“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 through various programmes vis-a-vis; 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.
“So yes, President Buhari has had an eventful tenure and so does Dr Godwin Emefiele. President Buhari’s tenure is eventful because he has people like Emefiele,” the statement read.
The Arewa youths advised Matawalle to lick his wounds and grief alone, adding that all that Emefiele had done had the blessings of the commander-in-chief.
“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,” it added.
The group then called on the president-elect, Senator Bola Tinubu, to note that the North voted for him when the sound of gunshots from bandits went silent as a result of the Naira redesign policy introduced by the CBN.
“Insecurity is the reason our people rejected the PDP. We saw a workable solution to our number one problem. If he choses to rally 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,” it added.
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