By Bilesanmi Abayomi
Despite the Supreme Court’s final rulling in the lawsuit on the old banknotes to extend their validity till December 31, 2023, the scarcity of the currency still persists across the states of the federation, even as many Nigerians have started accepting the old notes following the failure of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to make a pronouncement to that effect.
The silence of President Muhammadu Buhari and the CBN has continued to ruin lives and affect social, economic, and religious activities. And one of the major religious exercise rites that the scarcity of naira notes is going to affect in the next few days is the forthcoming year’s 2023 Ramadan, which is expected to begin on March 23.
Muslims across the nation spend more on charitable activities and food during Ramadan.
Reacting to the cash crunch, the Insight and Kosofe Post columnist, Mr. Lateef Adewole, said (ebe la’n b’osika), in other words, “na beg we go dey beg the evil man.”
He stated, “Ebe laa b’osika ni oro na da bayi ooo.” We don’t tire.Maybe God will enter Buhari’s heart for the sake of Ramadan, and he will tell CBN to openly obey the court order so that all this can be over. It has ruined lives. It will make things more difficult during fasting. He adds, “That might be another avenue to enter Buhari.”
According to him, “I suspect that he wanted the governorship election to pass before they started the implementation, hence the lackluster attitude.” Sadly, it was postponed.
Malami was served with the CTC of the judgment on Friday. The governors threatened to institute a contempt case against him and the CBN governor if nothing is done.
He concluded, “I hope the situation gets better asap.” It’s no longer funny. “People have died due to that thoughtless policy.”
A book author, Shehu Hameed Bankole, thanked the outgoing administration for the Ramadan reminder and shared his thoughts on the cash crunch.earn the wrath of millions of Muslims if something is not urgently done to prevent further hardship.
He said, “True, this is the period when teeming tens of millions of Muslims (mostly poor and indigent) will be engaged in fasting.” Their sacrifice to stay off food, drink, and outward displays of physical affection towards their spouses is highly rewarded by Allah. Now, when starting the fast at dawn, it is Sunna to take something for food, and that small measure is usually so inexpensive that small amounts of cash in the lower denominators are exchanged. The same goes for the actual fast-breaking time at sunset.
Shehu noted that the CBN and Federal governments’ insistence on disobeying the laws of the land as interpreted by the highest court of the land—the Supreme Court—will constitute an unusual, “yet intolerable,” act of cruelty as regards their abilities to fulfill their religious obligations. I’m not even going to discuss how Allah (who is swift in account and the toughest to mete out punishment) will respond to individuals who cooperate in this dastardly act).
The book’s author said, “The current administration, on its way out, will earn the wrath of millions of Muslims if something is not done ASAP to prevent the hardship.”