Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State has disclosed that he sent a letter to the Presidency seeking the postponement of President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to the state for the commissioning of projects.
According to Ganduje, the President’s visit to the state on Monday, January 30 has been postponed due to security issues that might arise from the deadline given for swapping of old Naira notes for new ones.
Speaking during an interactive sessions with scholars, legislators, political leaders and business community in the state at the Government House in Kano, Ganduje said they are deeply concerned by the hardship associated with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s policy on withdrawal of old naira notes.
He said:
“As we are waiting for this important visit, we found ourselves in this situation, which puts citizens into untold hardship. For security purpose we wrote to 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.
“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 banks. And without any assurances of getting the new notes.
“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.”
