The Ekiti State House of Assembly, on Friday, passed a resolution urging the president, Major Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd), and the Central Bank of Nigeria, to obey the Supreme Court ruling to allow the old and new N200, N500 and N1,000 notes to be in circulation until the determination of the suit before the apex court.
The Assembly also resolved that the Commissioner for Finance, Mr Akintunde Oyebode, should set machinery in motion to regulate the activities of point-of-sale operators to save Ekiti people from exploitation and exorbitant charges imposed on them.
The Assembly, at a plenary, presided over by the Speaker, Olubunmi Adelugba, appealed to residents “to remain calm in the face of hardship they are going through over the scarcity of new notes.”
The Assembly urged them not to be provoked into engaging in activities that could lead to a breakdown of law and order.
Expressing concerns and worries about the suffering of Ekiti people on the scarcity of the new naira notes, the Ekiti lawmakers urged the Federal Government and the Central Bank of Nigeria to obey the rule of law, as enunciated by the Supreme Court ruling to bring relief to the beleaguered masses.
The motion calling on the federal government and the CBN to make the naira notes available was moved by the Chairman, House Committee on Finance and Appropriation, Lateef Akanle and seconded by the lawmaker representing Irepodun/Ifelodun Constituency 1, Femi Akindele.
The deputy speaker, Hakeem Jamiu, lauded Governor Biodun Oyebanji for ensuring that Ekiti state joined the suit filed by Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara states, against the federal government on the new naira policy at the Supreme Court.
Among others, Jamiu said, “The commissioner for finance should rein in the POS operators, they are becoming wicked merchants. They should conduct their business with human face, they should stop their exorbitant charges on our people immediately.”
The Chief Whip, Adeoye Aribasoye, regretted that the scarcity of new naira notes had given rise to more insecurity and a shortage of food.
He called on the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), to set a good example by complying with the ruling of the Supreme Court by allowing the old and new naira notes to be in circulation pending the determination of the suit.
The Speaker, Adelugba, urged the people of the state to be calm and not to be forced to take the law into their hands.
He said, “I want to express my deep regret on what is happening in our country. All we can say is that this season shall pass; our people should be calm, our people should not be pushed to the extent of fomenting trouble.
“I want to urge the CBN and the banks to make both the old and new notes available to our people to douse the tension in the land.”
