Naira shortage: As Nigerians suffer, Buhari fails to pledge to obey Supreme Court ruling
President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday refused to take the bold step of ending the suffering of millions of Nigerians who are struggling because of his government's naira overhaul policy.
In his first public remarks to criticism from Nigerians over his government's disobedience of a Supreme Court order, President Buhari declined to say outright that his government would obey the order.
Instead, Mr Buhari said he did not “direct the Attorney General and the CBN Governor to disobey court orders implicating the government and other parties”.
Presidential Spokesman Garba Shehu made the President's position known in a statement Monday evening.
PREMIUM TIMES reported how the Supreme Court recently ordered the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Nigerian government to allow the continued use of old and new naira notes until December.
Despite the ruling, banks and other businesses continued to reject the old N500 and N1,000 notes, saying Mr Buhari and CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele had not given them the green light.
Mr. Buhari declined to give such a green light in Monday's statement.
Details later…
Read Mr. Shehu's full statement below.
PRESIDENT BUHARI NEVER TOLD AG AND CBN GOV TO DEFY SUPREME COURT ORDERThe Presidency wishes to respond to some public concerns that President Muhammadu Buhari has failed to respond to the Supreme Court judgment on the issue of the old 500 and 1,000 Naira banknotes, and hereby clearly and clearly states that at no time did he direct the Attorney General and the CBN Governor to disobey any court order involving the government and other parties.
Since the president was sworn in in 2015, he has never ordered anyone to defy court orders, believing that we cannot practice democracy without the rule of law and that the commitment of his administration towards this principle has not changed.
Following the intense ongoing compliance debate regarding the legality of old banknotes, the Presidency therefore wishes to state clearly that President Buhari has done nothing knowingly and deliberately to interfere or obstruct the administration of the justice.< /p>
The President is not a micromanager and therefore will not prevent the Attorney General and the CBN Governor from exercising the details of their duties according to law. In all cases. it is debatable at this point whether there is evidence of willful refusal by the two on the orders of the Supreme Court.
The President's directive, following the meeting of the Council of State. is that the Bank must make available for circulation all the necessary money and nothing has happened to change the position.
It is an established fact that the President absolutely respects judicial process and the authority of the courts. He has done nothing in the past eight years or so to obstruct the administration of justice, cause lack of confidence in the administration of justice or otherwise interfere with or corrupt the courts and there is no reason that so do now, when he is about to leave office.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday refused to take the bold step of ending the suffering of millions of Nigerians who are struggling because of his government's naira overhaul policy.
In his first public remarks to criticism from Nigerians over his government's disobedience of a Supreme Court order, President Buhari declined to say outright that his government would obey the order.
Instead, Mr Buhari said he did not “direct the Attorney General and the CBN Governor to disobey court orders implicating the government and other parties”.
Presidential Spokesman Garba Shehu made the President's position known in a statement Monday evening.
PREMIUM TIMES reported how the Supreme Court recently ordered the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Nigerian government to allow the continued use of old and new naira notes until December.
Despite the ruling, banks and other businesses continued to reject the old N500 and N1,000 notes, saying Mr Buhari and CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele had not given them the green light.
Mr. Buhari declined to give such a green light in Monday's statement.
Details later…
Read Mr. Shehu's full statement below.
PRESIDENT BUHARI NEVER TOLD AG AND CBN GOV TO DEFY SUPREME COURT ORDERThe Presidency wishes to respond to some public concerns that President Muhammadu Buhari has failed to respond to the Supreme Court judgment on the issue of the old 500 and 1,000 Naira banknotes, and hereby clearly and clearly states that at no time did he direct the Attorney General and the CBN Governor to disobey any court order involving the government and other parties.
Since the president was sworn in in 2015, he has never ordered anyone to defy court orders, believing that we cannot practice democracy without the rule of law and that the commitment of his administration towards this principle has not changed.
Following the intense ongoing compliance debate regarding the legality of old banknotes, the Presidency therefore wishes to state clearly that President Buhari has done nothing knowingly and deliberately to interfere or obstruct the administration of the justice.< /p>
The President is not a micromanager and therefore will not prevent the Attorney General and the CBN Governor from exercising the details of their duties according to law. In all cases. it is debatable at this point whether there is evidence of willful refusal by the two on the orders of the Supreme Court.
The President's directive, following the meeting of the Council of State. is that the Bank must make available for circulation all the necessary money and nothing has happened to change the position.
It is an established fact that the President absolutely respects judicial process and the authority of the courts. He has done nothing in the past eight years or so to obstruct the administration of justice, cause lack of confidence in the administration of justice or otherwise interfere with or corrupt the courts and there is no reason that so do now, when he is about to leave office.
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