*Festus Keyamo, Minister of State for Labour and Employment, says he could have advised President Muhammadu Buhari to ‘comply strictly with the terms of the order of the Supreme Court’, that all the old banknotes should circulate concurrently with the new notes in the Nigerian economy

Isola Moses | 绿帽献妻

Against the backdrop of the recent presidential pronouncement on the Naira policy and cash swap issues, Mr. Festus Keyamo, Honourable Minister of State for Labour and Employment, has said President Muhammadu Buhari “may have acted on wrong advice” after all.

Keyamo, who is Spokesperson for the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, stated this Friday, February 17, 2023, while featuring on a Channels TV.

Mr. Festus Keyamo, Honourable Minister of State for Labour and Employment

The Minister alluded to President Buhari鈥檚 directive Thursday, February 16 regarding the update on the implementation of the Naira swap policy as being ill-advised.

绿帽献妻 reports the President in a nationwide broadcast on the controversial policy Thursday, had directed the old N200 banknotes should remain in circulation till April 10, while the old N500 and N1,000 bills were no longer legal tender in the country.

Following the formal launch of the redesigned N200,N500 and N1000 notes November 2022, in Abuja, FCT, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had set the initial deadline of January 31 this year as the deadline for phasing out the use of old banknotes as legal tender in the economy.

The Bank later extended the timeline to February 10, but with the Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara States approached the Supreme Court on the matter, and secured an interim order, suspending the Federal Government’s implementation of the policy until the court heard the substantive lawsuit Wednesday, February 15.

Nonetheless, as the Supreme Court was about hearing the case, which later adjourned till February 22 for hearing of the consolidated case, Buhari had issued a directive on the pending matter a day earlier.

Commenting on the issue, Keyamo stated: 鈥淢y view is that the President acted honestly without intention to slight the Supreme Court.

鈥淏ut he may have acted on wrong advice.鈥�

The Minister of State for Labour and Employment further said: 鈥淚 did not give that advice; it is not my responsibility. I don鈥檛 know who gave that advice.

“I want to say this openly because tomorrow, people will ask me where I stood at this time.鈥�

According him, Buhari鈥檚 speech acknowledged that there were certain matters in court, and that the President believed he was playing safe by purportedly intervening to quell the growing tension across the country.

Keyamo as well noted: 鈥淗e (Buhari) thought he was playing safe by saying, 鈥楤efore you decide this matter in court, may I just provide some middle ground so that country burning, there are riots everywhere, so let me just try and provide some succour to the people, whilst acknowledging the matters are in court.鈥� ”

All authorities must obey Supreme Court orders: Keyamo

He said: 鈥淣ow, if I were to advise him, I would have advised differently.

“I did not advise him. It鈥檚 not my responsibility; I don鈥檛 know who.鈥�

But as regards what his specific counsel to the President would have been, Keyamo declared it would be for Buhari to 鈥渃omply strictly with the terms of the order of the Supreme Court, [which is that] all the old notes should circulate for now side by side with the new notes because that is the order of the Supreme Court.鈥�

He emphasised that by virtue of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), 鈥渁ll authorities in Nigeria must obey the orders of the Supreme Court.

Keyamo said anything to the contrary is 鈥渁 descent to anarchy.鈥�

Incidentally, there have been series of protests and acts of violence several states of the Federation over the burning issues of Naira policy implementation, cash crunch and currency swap amid fuel scarcity.

The Minister further noted the day people begin to disobey the order of the Supreme Court is an invitation to 鈥渞evolutionary intervention or other kinds of interventions鈥� in the country’s democracy.

Keyamo, therefore, described the Judiciary and the Supreme Court as the last bastion to defend Nigeria鈥檚 democracy.

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