Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El Rufai,says the old notes of N1,000 and N500 still remain legal tender in the state.
President Muhammadu Buhari had Thursdayordered the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to circulate the old N200 notes alongside the new N200, N500, and N1,000 notes from February 10 to April 10, 2023.
But in a broadcast to the people of the state, El-Rufai described the President’s statement as contempt of court .
He said : “For the avoidance of doubt, all the old and new notes shall remain in use as legal tender in Kaduna state until the Supreme Court of Nigeria decides otherwise.I therefore appeal to all residents of Kaduna State to continue to use the old and new notes side by side without any fear.
The Kaduna State Government and its agencies shall seal any facility that refuses to accept the old notes as legal tender and prosecute the owners. If need be, we shall take further consequential actions according to the law”
“While urging you all not to fall for these antics of the enemies of Nigeria, please be patient and continue to exercise resilience in the face of open provocation and deliberate disinformation. We encourage you to be ready with your PVC to vote in the February 25 Presidential and National Assembly elections. We are doing all we can to ensure that it is peaceful, orderly and hitch-free.
“I appeal to you to understand the shenanigans of these unpatriotic elements in Abuja and ensure you vote massively for the intended victims of these last-minute policies of needless hardship and incitement of the citizens – our party, the APC and its candidates in all the elections.
” The Kaduna State Government is making this appeal, and taking all these measures to shield our people from the terrible consequences of the currency redesign policy. We seek to protect our people’s hard-earned money, their ability to engage in trade and exchange and buy what they need.
“We also seek to protect their civic rights, liberties and freedoms under a democratic dispensation. I call on the people of Kaduna State to remain peaceful and vigilant in the face of brazen attempts to engineer crisis in order to get a pretext for unconstitutional or undemocratic actions”.
“In conclusion, our Presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has asked me to convey his greetings, empathy and words of encouragement to the good people of Kaduna State. He urges us to remain patient, pray for our country and remain vigilant in our pursuit of Renewed Hope”
