By Yemi Monday
Immediate past Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has taken a swipe on those criticizing and opposing President Muhammad Buhari over the Naira redesign and swapping of the old Naira notes.
He however commended President Muhammadu Buhari’s efforts in the Naira redesign and swap which he said will help curb vote-buying ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Dogara said that “for those criticizing the President on the issue of timing, I want to remind them in the words of Dr Martin King Jnr, that time is eternally neutral and “the time is always ripe to do right.“
The former Speaker however said that he is not uninformed or unaffected by the hardship caused by the Naira redesign and swap policy but pleaded with Nigerians to endure it for a few weeks as a sacrifice for a “free, fair and credible elections.”
Dogara spoke on Friday in the Adamawa State capital, Yola, at a Town Hall meeting organized by Atiku/Okowa campaign organisation with the theme: “Overcoming the Fears of Same Faith Presidential Ticket 2023.”
According to him, “I want to specifically commend President Buhari over the initiative to curb vote-buying in the forthcoming general elections. I am not uninformed of nor unaffected by the hardship caused by the Naira redesign and swap policy but I want to plead with Nigerians to endure it for these few weeks as sacrifice for a free, fair and credible election.
“It’s a life lesson: that just as injury has pains, so also recovery has pains. But if we have to get healed, we have to endure the pains. I urge us all to trudge on in the hope that these pains may truly be the birth pangs we may endure for a New Nigeria to be born.”
He further said: “Let me end by calling on CBN to ensure the redesigned notes are made available to our people. But even if the CBN failed to do so, my plea to all Nigerians is to endure the pains for few more weeks for our votes to count and for us to elect a president we truly deserve.”
“Let me emphatically say that the President has the sole constitutional powers over currency matters and all those busy running their mouths because they have been denied the opportunity to deploy the ill- gotten Naira they have stashed to buy votes, that they are committing treason.
“The President is absolutely right not to have given in to the greed of the few against the needs of the many. While the President is right to have acted on what he knows and in the best interest of the country, his traducers are petty, unpatriotic, treacherous and grossly irresponsible.”
The former Speaker also said: “Therefore, Mr. President deserves our thunderous applause. Whoever writes it, history will be kind to Mr. President if he doesn’t give in or give up on his resolve to ensure a free, fair and credible democratic election no matter the cost on the 25th February, 2023 as scheduled by INEC.
“Let me remind us that Nigeria is tottering on the precipice and for everyone who has ever wondered how the bottom looks like, this is it! No doubt these are moments of national peril! That is why we need a President who will hit the ground running from day one. If we love Nigeria, we cannot afford to foist a rookie on her as President.”
