Dumebi Kachikwu, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, says the scarcity of the new naira banknotes poses great threats to Nigeria’s peace. He also lamented that difficulty in withdrawing old notes is frustrating lives and livelihood.

Mr Kachikwu worries that large parts of the North don’t have bank branches and e-banking support.

“If this is not bad enough, the most political Central Bank governor in our nation’s history seeks to plunge our nation into further chaos. How else can one explain this ill-conceived naira redesign policy that ought to strengthen the value of our currency but now threatens our very existence as a nation,” Mr Kachikwu.

The ADP presidential standard-bearer added, “My heart broke as I watched the videos of those who stripped naked in banking halls all in a bid to collect their money. How do you speak of cashless banking in a country plagued by epileptic telecom networks and power blackouts? Who is deceiving who when many parts of northern Nigeria don’t have bank branches and lack the infrastructure to support e-banking? Was this not factored into the CBN givernor’s plan?”

The presidential hopeful stressed that Nigerians did not deserve further hardships, especially at a time when fuel was also not available in many parts of the country.

He noted that people queued for hours for fuel only to be told they could not buy because they did not have cash and the point of sale (POS) terminals were out of service due to unavailability of both the old and the new naira notes.

Mr Kachikwu said the February 25 presidential election should be an opportunity for Nigerians to restore, rebuild, revive and reclaim their country by voting wisely. He urged Nigerians to demand that all presidential candidates have public debates.

“They say they will transform the country from consumption to production and you all clap. The question is produce what, where and when. It is your right to ask questions. How do we enter an election like this without debating or discussing the issues, what is wrong with us, we create problems and then bring in a spiritual dimension,” Mr Kachikwu stated.

(NAN)