With public anger rising over the frustrations of Nigerians especially the Central Bank of Nigeria policy on redesigned naira notes and fuel scarcity, Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, had written to the Presidency to postpone the planned visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to the State.
In a statement by Ganduje’s Chief Press Secretary, Abba Anwar, on Saturday, the announcement of the postponement was made during an interactive session with scholars, legislators, political leaders and business community in the State at Government House, Kano on Friday, adding that the decision was taken to avoid any unforeseen circumstance especially security breach.
“As we are waiting for this important visit, we found ourselves in this situation, which puts citizens into untold hardship. For security purposes, we wrote to the Presidency that President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to Kano be postponed.
“We got an acknowledgement copy of the letter. People are really suffering because of this policy,” the Governor said.
During the meeting with sections of citizens in the State, they accepted that the decision was an unanimous one.
Two serving Senators from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Kabiru Ibrahim Gaya and Barau Jibrin; 20 members of House of Representatives; and 30 legislators from the State House of Assembly; were amongst the groups that put their weight behind the Governor.
Ganduje lamented, “There are no banks in most of our rural communities. How these people get new Naira notes is of great concern. Just look at what is happening in our urban areas, people go and spend hours upon hours in bank. without any assurances of getting the new notes.”
Even at Point of Sales, according to the Governor, one could not transact with ease, hinting that many of them closed shops due to uncertainty.
He emphasised that Kano being a commercial hub must be heard loudly, insisting: “This problem affects all of us. Therefore our voice must be heard in all nooks and crannies. We are a commercial hub. As such our position must be loud and clear.”
On Thursday, during President Buhari’s two-day official visit to his home state of Katsina where he inaugurated some projects executed by the State government, youths of the State took the unprecedented step of protesting, decrying the hardship in the country.
The youth staged the protests shortly after the President inaugurated the Kofar Kaura Underpass in Katsina as they caused a commotion at the Underpass where they threw stones at the crowd after Buhari left the area.
They also set up bonfires along the Yahaya Madaki Way, a few metres from the underpass, while shouting: ‘We don’t need you,’ ‘We no go do,’ in Hausa.
A viral video showed a mass of youths violently denouncing the government as they engaged some policemen on the road.