Adamawa State governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, has claimed that the political class is the target of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) new cash withdrawal limit policy.
The CBN had on Tuesday set restrictions on weekly cash withdrawals for both private citizens and businesses.
The new policy, which CBN says would go into effect January 9, 2023, aims to lessen the amount of cash flow and promote more electronic-based transactions.
Fintiri, however when appearing at a campaign event in the state’s Kala’a, Hong local government area on Friday, stated that it was obvious that Emefiele’s strategy was directed at the political elite.
The governor also said having lost out in his bid to join the political class, Emefiele chose to hunt politicians.
READ ALSO: House Of Reps. Summon Emefiele Over CBN Cash Withdrawal Limits
Fintiri also reacted to comments by President Muhammadu Buhari that governors prevent development in the country by stealing with local government allocations.
According to him, the Federal Government is the worst culprit in the illegal deductions of monies belonging to local governments and states.
“What is breeding poverty? Economic policies. Look at the one that is about to be implemented by the Central Bank which would further throw the country into poverty,” he said.
“Nobody is saying the economy shouldn’t be cashless. Take time and do it systematically. We shouldn’t do it as if some people wanted to be politicians and they were denied the opportunity, then they use their office to punish the politicians.
“If we are talking about governors diverting funds, we expect the government to correct the anomaly by sponsoring an amendment to the Nigerian constitution to separate the office of the accountant general of the federation from the accountant general of the federal government so that funds belonging to local government and the state would not also be converted by the federal government because what the governors are being accused of, the federal government can equally be accused of doing same ten times over.”
