The Chairman, Senate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Smart Adeyemi, has urged the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to reconsider his position to address the current naira scarcity within the next seven days.
The Senator who is representing Kogi West Senatorial District in the National Assembly stated this while addressing journalists in Abuja.
Buhari had on Friday promised to address the issue of naira scarcity within seven days when he met with the All Progressives Congress governors.
But Adeyemi said the current sufferings of the people were becoming unbearable and pleaded with the President to act immediately to avoid further deaths among the people.
He also noted that Buhari wasn’t a party to the naira shortage being experienced in the country, however, the problems he believes were caused by those he described as “hypocrites on the corridor of power.”
As part of the solution to the crisis, the senator urged the President to extend the deadline for the naira swap.
Senator Adeyemi said, “Many of the artisans and small-scale business people have their money at home. As I speak to you, I have a record of people who died because they had no money to buy drugs in the last few days, they died because of complications.
“As good as this policy is, we should not allow the poor masses to carry the pains for the atrocity committed by the elite.
“I want to tell the President that seven days is too long a time before the change. I am taking a look at happening across the country and already there are demonstrations, violent reactions.”
He further noted that President Buhari is a statesman who has fought for the unity of this country and doggedly committed to ruling the country.
He said, “I want to call on the President that seven days is too long a period. The pains that Nigerians are experiencing are too much.
“Three days is like one year for people to bear. I am saying this because we were elected not appointed, so I have the responsibility to give feedback of the pains of the people that elected us.
“The pain is much. Every day is like a year for people to bear. I was elected, I was not appointed. People are asking us, how will they pay money to get money? Artisans are dying on a daily basis.”
“Mr President, thank you for your concern. But no woman in the labour room will survive another seven days of labour. You have done your best, apart from the insecurity that has beclouded your achievement. Those that surround you are hypocrites.”
“The poor are shouting. This is the worst policy anyone can think of,” he added.
