Stop playing politics with Nigerians’ pains, Arewa youths tell Atiku

By Adeyemi Adeleye

The Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF) on Saturday asked Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to stop playing politics with the pains Nigerians are currently going through over new Naira policy and the challenges in accessing the new notes.

Alhaji Yerima Shettima, the National President of the AYCF, in a statement on Saturday in Lagos, frowned at Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the PDP Presidential Candidate, over his comment on the new Naira policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The campaign office of Abubakar, on Wednesday in a statement, advised the CBN not to extend the Feb. 10 deadline for the exchange of old naira notes with new ones.

The former vice-president had said any further extension would destroy the purpose and objective of the policy.

The deadline for the validity of old naira notes was initially Jan. 31.

However, the controversy it generated as Nigerians could not access the new notes led to its extension to Feb. 10.

Meanwhile, Shettima said that it was wrong for the PDP to oppose the opinion of many Nigerians, including the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, National Assembly and others, in favour of further extension of the deadline on old notes by the CBN.

“Former VP Atiku’s call was out of place because it is coming on the heels of growing complaints about the kind of sabotage that is causing untold hardship to Nigerians over this policy.

“Atiku stands alone in his call on the CBN not to review the deadline.

“He is against prominent Nigerians who made passionate appeals for deadline review, notably the Sultan of Sokoto, the Senate and House of Representatives leaders and experts.

“What purpose will the current difficulties people are facing serve Atiku? Why would he rather identify with the need to let the difficulties faced by especially rural folks continue and for how long?”

Shettima said that the group was in support of extension of the deadline for the cash swap policy due to difficulties citizens were currently experiencing.

NAN