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Tinubu’s opponents own banks, can access hundreds of millions – El-Rufai
Governor Nasir El-Rufai has said opponents of the All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu have huge funds at their disposal ahead of the general elections.
The governor on Thursday addressed the people of Kaduna amid the scarcity of new naira notes after the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, redesigned N200, N500 and N1000 notes.
El-Rufai said the CBN and other “disgruntled” federal officials convinced President Muhammadu Buhari that it is fine for ordinary citizens to be dispossessed of their hard-earned money.
The governor decried the extent to which small and medium-sized businesses are deprived of access to their capital, thereby bringing trade and exchange to a grinding halt.
El-Rufai confirmed that attempts to get the Buhari administration to modify implementation of the policy to avoid unintended consequences were unsuccessful.
The All Progressives Congress, APC, stalwart said those painted before the President as the real targets of the currency redesign have not been affected in any way.
“Indeed, two of the presidential candidates, and a running mate of the opposition parties own or have preferred access to some of the licensed banks.
“For that reason and by various clandestine arrangements, these politicians have access to hundreds of millions of these new notes,” he noted.
El-Rufai told the public that in all of these, traders, merchants, students and other citizens have been queuing for days to withdraw a few thousands just to buy food and necessaries.
The former FCT Minister condemned politicians who either own banks or have privileged access to money for “recklessly endorsing a policy that is being badly implemented”.
El-Rufai added that a presidential candidate raised his voice against the recommendation of APC governors, and the Nigeria Governors Forum, NGF, for an extension of implementation timeline.
Former lawmaker, Senator Shehu Sani, has described the planned increase in electricity and telecom tariffs as unconscionable.
The statement comes after the telecoms regulator last week approved the increase in mobile tariffs.
The federal government also recently said that plans were ongoing to increase electricity tariffs “over the next few months.”
However, Sani, who said the government’s plan is unreasonable, insisted that it should be halted.
The ex-lawmaker also expressed his support for the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) over the scheduled protest against the government’s proposal, calling it a welcome development.
“The planned increase in electricity tariffs in the midst of poor power supply and the proposal to increase telecom tariffs is unconscionable and should be halted. The scheduled labour union protest is a welcome development,” he posted on X.
The United States President, Donald Trump, has revealed his decision to cut off all future funding to South Africa, citing poor treatment of “certain classes of people.”
Trump made this known on Sunday in a post on Truth Social, his social media platform.
According to Trump, South Africa was seizing land and mistreating some citizens without concern for the violations of their rights.
“South Africa is confiscating land and treating certain classes of people VERY BADLY.
“I will be cutting off all future funding to South Africa until a full investigation of this situation has been completed!” Trump wrote.
Reports suggest that the American leader may be defending White South Africans, some of whom have alleged that the South African policy is unfair to them.
There are indications that the federal government will on Monday meet with the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, to stop the planned Tuesday nationwide protest against the 50 percent telecommunications tariff hike.
A reliable source familiar with the matter, who preferred anonymity, disclosed this on Monday morning, noting that the meeting between the NLC leadership and the federal government is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Monday.
The source said the meeting was a “dialogue on matters of national interest as it affects Nigerian workers.”
According to the source, it will be an inter-ministerial meeting with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), purposely to resolve issues raised by the NLC concerning the federal government’s approved upward adjustment to telecommunications tariffs, which the NLC, its allies, and others are vehemently opposing.
This comes as the NLC is already mobilizing workers for a mass protest tomorrow (February 4) against the 50 percent tariff hike approval.
On Thursday last week, in a letter to affiliate unions and state councils, NLC General Secretary Emma Ugboaja urged them to mobilize other Nigerians to send a serious message to the government.
The planned protest follows the 50 percent telecom tariff approval by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on January 20, 2025.
The approval had sparked widespread rejection among telecom subscribers.
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