There’s no doubt that Nigerians in the last few weeks have been under very excruciating circumstances as a result of the deadline for swapping of the old naira notes with the new ones. While there’s urgent need for improvements in the circulation of the new notes by the CBN, there’s absolutely nothing new about what we are passing through, as each day under the APC regime, since its inception, has been hell on earth for most Nigerians.
What is new, however, is the combative manner with which the governors of the ruling APC have moved in an attempt to “salvage” the situation; threatening fire and brimstone if the deadline for the swap is not extended a second time “to give succour to suffering Nigerians.” In one of such moves, the Progressives Governors Forum, as they call themselves, met and paid an emergency visit to Mr. President to demand an extension of the deadline “in the interest of poor Nigerians.” But it is the governor of Kaduna State, Nasir Elrufa’i that has appeared more worrisome and vocal than any of his colleague governors.
In separate media interviews with Malam Nasiru El-Rufai, he claimed that the short window given for the termination of the old notes would only serve to exacerbate the suffering of Nigerians and described the situation as the handiwork of a cabal within the presidency who do not want the presidential candidate of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to win. Elrufa’i even went further to suggest that should the President fail to extend the deadline beyond the February 10 date, the 2023 elections may not hold because the suffering masses could stage a revolution, thus bringing a new dimension as to what the real motive of the APC governors for kicking against the deadline is.
What Elrufa’i did forget to tell Nigerians, however, is the fact that Nigerians had a period of up to 90 days to deposit their old notes and get the new ones, and should the deadline be extended for another three months, a lot of Nigerians in our characteristic manner, would relax and still wait till the last week of the new deadline before rushing to do the needful.
It is quite suspicious and difficult to agree with the governors that why they want the February 10 date extended is to ease the pains on Nigerians and not save their political ambitions. In this regard, the cabal in the presidency must be commended for this patriotic intervention, if at all they exist or have anything to do with the new currency policy. We must also be grateful to Elrufa’i and the ‘Progressives Governors’ for agreeing (though belatedly) with the majority of Nigerians that there has been suffering in the land or that ‘some cabal’ and not Buhari have been in-charge of the presidency since 2015. Either way, the Nigerian masses have won.
But most importantly, it is ridiculous for Mr. Elrufa’i or any of his friends to think that Nigerians can be deceived to rise against the federal government at this time, and by so doing, threaten the conduct of the 2023 general election which, by the way, represents their last hope of taking back their country.
Someone needs to remind Elrufa’i that should there even be the need for a violent revolution, it shouldn’t be called by characters such as he. His eight-year reign as the governor of Kaduna State which will be terminating in about 3 months is one that has been characterised by monumental killing, kidnap for ransom, demolitions, and wanton acts of corruption, oppression, bigotry, nepotism and religious chauvinism like never before seen in the history of the state. Elrufa’i should be lucky that he will be leaving the stage without a violent revolution ever staged against him. Someone needs to remind Mr. Elrufa’i that going by the above surface assessment of his adminstration, he lacks the moral justification to speak either against the cabal in the Villa or for the suffering Nigerian masses.
What he should be advised to do is to use the remaining three or so months of his tenure to seek forgiveness from God and the people of the state for leading a government of cronies and friends in Kaduna State, which had no regard for any counsel other than his own and those of his cronies; inflicted pains on its subjects in the most arbitrary, brazen and insensitive manner; have supervised the killing, maiming and kidnapping of thousands, sacked over 50 thousand workers without payment of their entitlements, demolished private homes and over 40,000 shops and MSMES, removed subsidy on fertilizer and other farm inputs, skyrocketed tuition fees in state-owned tertiary institutions, and impoverished millions in the state.
The same Elrufa’i who has arrogantly refused to pay the retired Permanent Secretaries arrears of salaries he arbitrarily cut or reinstate sacked District Heads or Swear-in elected Local Government Council Chairmen despite several court orders and untold hardship the victims and their families have been going through, should not have the courage or be seen calling for a revolution; embarking on smear campaign, and inciting the masses against the president or the presidency, as he has been doing lately.
Let it be on record that the vast majority of Nigerians are only with those who support the conduct of the 2023 general elections whether or not the CBN extends the deadline for the use of the old naira notes, and the only revolution that will happen is the one through the ballot. By the special grace of God, the people of Nigeria will act right by frustrating the evil plans of the Elrufa’is of this nation against the peaceful conduct of the elections by ensuring that their likes and imposed candidates at all levels are not only DEFEATED but confined to the dustbin of history. That is the ONLY REVOLUTION that will happen in 2023. Indeed, it will happen.
May God give us the strength to persevere and resist the temptation of getting angry and acting in ways that can be inimical to our salvation come February 25 and March 11, 2023. Amen!
~Edward John Auta writes from Narom Village of Zonkwa Ward in Zango Kataf LGA of Kaduna State
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