By Abdullahi Yusuf
Kano State Government has decried as most unfortunate the discriminatory attitude of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which it says is apparently aimed at crippling the economy of the state by refusing to release new Naira notes to commercial banks operating in the state in the last four days.
The State Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Malam Muhammad Garba, made the remark in a statement issued on Friday in Kano.
Garba said that since Monday, commercial banks in the state had gotten zero allocation from the Apex Bank.
He said the prejudiced approach by the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, to the implementation of the cashless policy, no matter the intentions, seemed to be targeting Kano and its economy, given the daily volume of trade in the North’s commercial nerve centre, by starving commercial banks of the money that was supposed to be allocated to them.
He said that the CBN as an organ of the Federal Government had, from all indications “been reduced to a tool to settle political scores by choosing a wrong time to force a policy on the people that could have been implemented at the appropriate time in the past.”
The commissioner noted that the people of the state had been subjected to unnecessary hardships by depriving them access to their hard-earned money, “ostensibly to precipitate civil unrest that could lead to the postponement of the most awaited general elections scheduled for next week.”
He, however, said that the people of Kano, who are known for their peace-loving posture even in the face of provocation, have endured the hardships.
He called on the people of the state to continue with the spirit, and also come out enmass to exercise their franchise during the elections.
Malam Garba also assured that the Administration of Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje identifies with them in this trying period and would do whatever it takes to see to the resolution of the present situation.
