Three days after the Supreme Court of Nigeria ruled that the old N200, N500 and N1,000 notes would remain legal tender till December 2023, Nigerians still await President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive on the implementation of this order by the Central bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Development Diaries reports that nothing has been heard from President Buhari who initially gave a directive for the old N200 notes to still be in circulation till 10 April, 2023, even though it contradicted the earlier order of the apex court.
Also, a check on the CBN website and official social media handles shows that there has not been any new directive to banks on the release of the old N1,000 and N500 notes.
The last statement the apex bank issued on 21 February, as seen on its official Twitter page, was on its compliance with the president’s directive to reissue only N200 old notes.
The silence of the president on the final ruling of the Supreme Court clearly shows a violation of section 287, subsection one of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which provides that the decisions of the Supreme Court shall be enforced in any part of the federation by all authorities and persons.
Reactions from Nigerians on Twitter further show that the old notes are still not back in circulation as has been anticipated since the Supreme Court’s ruling, hence citizens still await CBN’s next move.
This tweep said, ‘In case the federal government don’t know please some people are not receiving this old note still cause they’re waiting for central bank approval’.
Incase the federal government don’t know please some people are not receiving this old note still cause they’re waiting for central bank approval. #oldnote #nairaredesign #centralbank #mufasa #bod
— Shegburg 👑 (@IamShegburg) March 6, 2023
Another tweep, @Shehusky, said, ‘Two days after the Supreme Court ruling on the naira redesign policy, nobody is accepting the old notes. Nigerians are waiting for Buhari to talk. This is how our judiciary has been reduced to nothing…’
Two days after the Supreme Court ruling on the naira redesign policy, nobody is accepting the old notes. Nigerians are waiting for Buhari to talk. This is how our judiciary has been reduced to nothing. Anyway, they have opportunity now with the presidential election case to
— Shehu Gazali Sadiq (@Shehusky) March 6, 2023
The Socio-Economic Rights And Accountability Project (SERAP), in its latest release, urged Buhari to disclose details of the measures his government is taking to immediately and effectively obey the Supreme Court ruling.
It noted that there has been persistent disobedience of court orders by Buhari’s government, which is quite worrisome.
According to the Freedom of Information Act, Nigerians have a right to know how president Buhari and the CBN intend to implement the ruling of the Supreme Court regarding the naira redesign.
The policy which has caused a lot of hardship amongst many citizens and businesses is further pushing the already poor populace into more extreme levels of poverty and difficulty.
Development Diaries reiterates its call on president Buhari and the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, to adhere to Section 287 of the 1999 Constitution by accepting the judgment and acting accordingly.
Photo source: Presidency Nigeria
