There have been mixed reactions from Nigerians as the Supreme Court of Nigeria on Friday declared the Federal Government’s cashless and Naira redesign policy invalid, declaring it as an affront to the 1999 Constitution.
This publication recalls a suit was filed by Zamfara, Kogi and Kaduna state governments against the Attorney-General of the Federation on February 3.
Other states like Katsina, Lagos, Cross River, Ogun, Ekiti, Ondo and Sokoto later joined as co-plaintiffs.
This was owing to the hardship caused by the Central Bank of Nigeria’s naira redesign policy and the extended deadline of February 10, to ban the old N1000, N500 and N200 notes from being legal tenders.
Recall that on February 8, the Supreme Court ordered a temporary injunction preventing the Federal Government from carrying out its February 10 deadline for the use of the redesigned Naira notes as legal money.
Disregarding the ex-parte ruling by the highest court, President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), authorized only the N200 note to continue to be legal tender until April 10 in a nationwide broadcast on February 16, while the N1000 and N500 notes are no longer legal tenders.
However, the Supreme Court passed its verdict today (Friday) that the FG and CBN’s order to phase out the old naira notes will not stand.
This, however, has caused mixed reactions amongst Nigerians on social media.
While some think it was a script by the Supreme Court played out to favour the All Progressive Congress, some others think the Supreme Court should have left Buhari’s order of the N200 note as Nigerians are already adapting.
Responding to the post about the Supreme Court’s order on The Punch’s official Twitter page, @Ovisoft2058 said, “Because elections don pass. . All these are planned. Nothing surprises me in Nigeria anymore.”
@DeStarlion who sounds like a Labour Party’s supporter said, “So who will now account for the billions used for the new naira note redesign? Billions just go like that? Meanwhile @MBuhari and @GodwinIEmefiele aren’t in jail yet? This is why Obi is coming. Consumption to production.”
According to a response by @VivaRuno, “You know their moves but you were hailing them then because you felt it would make Obi win. By the way, you were hailing Buhari and CBN back then thinking they were for Obi. How come you guys hate them now?”
@alvinctv commented saying, “Supreme court was going to rule in favor of whoever is declared president… I have always know.. Dat was why they didn’t want to pass any judgment before the election, they want to be on the side dat wins..so where is the independency of the court?”
Another tweep, @EnihMicheal said, “Buhari made Nigerians to be insulting her country daily after all this stress and suffer people burning banks and some killed all for nothing just to suffer Nigerians , wetin we do this man self ?”
“Since 2015….its been one calamitous APC led government policy after another. Needless hardships. Unprecedented. Our political class (not more than 100 persons) are the biggest kidnappers cos they highjacked a country with over 200m people wit pen…….NOT those in the bush,” @Iam_eberechukwu said.
