Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State has on Saturday announced the postponement of President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to the state for commissioning of some project due to security reasons and to avoid repeat of Katsina uproar where some residents staged protest to register their dissatisfaction over the currency swap which has currently throw them into hardship.
The Governor confirmed that the state has written to the presidency to that effect during his interactive sessions with scholars, legislators, political leaders and business community in the state at Government House, Kano.
Ganduje in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Abba Anwar said the decision was taken to avoid any unforeseen circumstance.
According to him, “As we are waiting for this important visit, we found ourselves in this situation, which puts citizens into untold hardship. For security purpose we wrote to Presidency that President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to Kano be postponed.
“We got an acknowledgement copy of the letter. People are really suffering because of this policy,” the Governor said.
He lamented that, “There are no banks in most of our rural communities. How these people get new Naira notes is of great concern. Just look at what is happening in our urban areas, people go and spend hours upon hours in banks. And without any assurances of getting the new notes.”
Even at Point of Sales (POS) according to the governor, one cannot transact with ease, hinting that, many of them closed shops due to uncertainty.
He emphasized that, Kano being a commercial hub must be heard loudly, insisting that, “This problem affects all of us. Therefore our voice must be heard in all nooks and crannies. We are a commercial hub. As such our position must be loud and clear.”
Governor Ganduje reveals further that, under one platform, Nigerian governors without consideration to party affiliation, sent delegates to President Buhari complaining to him about the hardship caused by the new development.
“Governors from all the political parties put heads together and sent delegates, but to no avail. So also traditional rulers followed the same path, but individually. But up to now there is nothing in that respect,” he disclosed.
In Kano, according to him, government calls leaders of all sections of people around, whenever situation like this arises. Revealing that, “We invited scholars who were here yesterday. And today we are having this interactive sessions with you business community and our legislators.”
To revalidate the position of Kano people, as contained in the letter sent, governor Ganduje would take representatives from sections of the populace to go and see President Buhari and hear from them verbatim.
During the meeting with sections of citizens in the state, they accepted that, the decision was a unanimous one. As they all spoke in support of the letter sent to the Presidency.
Two serving Senators from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Kabiru Ibrahim Gaya and Barau Jibrin, Twenty members of the House of Representatives and Thirty legislators from the State House of Assembly were among the groups that put their weight behind the governor.
