At a Council of State meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, former heads of state and presidents in Nigeria expressed their support for the cashless policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). In attendance were Gen. Yakubu Gowon (retd), Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd), Goodluck Jonathan, and former Chief Justices Alfa Belgore and Mahmud Muhammad. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo participated online.
However, they also noted that the CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, must make new Naira notes accessible or recirculate old notes to alleviate the difficulties faced by Nigerians.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Governors of Taraba, Darius Ishaku, Lagos, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, briefed the State House correspondents. They stated that while the policy was generally accepted, concerns were raised about its implementation.
Ishaku advised the CBN to make money available in larger quantities, while Sanwo-Olu noted that the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) assured the council that they were fully prepared for the 2023 general elections. Malami concluded that they were on track in terms of election preparedness.
