The Zamfara state Attorney General and commissioner of Justice Barrister Junaidu Aminu spoke extensively on the just concluded Supreme court’s judgement on the Naira notes redesigning in an interview with Maiharaji Altine in Gusau. Excepts:
Can you shade more light on the judgement passed by the Supreme court on the case filed by Zamfara, Kaduna and Kogi states in respect of the Naira notes redesigning?
We instituted a case at the Supreme court against the Attorney General of the Federation challenging the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari to Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to redesign the Nigerian currency.
The Federal government through the Attorney General of the Federation filed a plenary objection, challenging the jurisdiction of the Supreme court saying that the proper venue of the case should be at a Federal high court but not the Supreme court.
The plenary objection was today (Friday) resolved and determined on its merit. The Supreme court held that it has the jurisdiction because the dispute is between the states and the Federal government.
This was supported by the national broadcast by the President on February 15. If you can recall, the President has addressed the nation. So this is the issue between the states and the Federal government.
What was the Supreme court’s verdict on the issue ?
The Supreme court considered all the prayers we sought before her and gave the following directives.
A) The Supreme court said the President ought not to have an approved and directed the CBN to go ahead with the Naira redesigning policy because there was no enough notice to the general public regarding the issue.
On our own part, we were challenging that the notice was not enough for the people to be aware of the implications and benefits of the Naira redesigning policy.
The court further said the press release issued by the CBN Governor was not fair. The press release cannot serve as an order. It was a mere statement.
If it was a notice, it should be in writing in form of a gazette or something like that and it has to be in circulation. It is not done like that for the CBN Governor to stay in his office and issue a statement on the Naira redesigning.
The people just heard it over the Media. We need something in writing, as such, the court declared the Naira redesign as null and void.
Secondly, the Supreme court said, the President ought to consult with the relevant stakeholders such as the national assembly, the Federal and state executive councils to weigh the advantages and the disadvantages of the policy.
The court therefore held that the policy is nothing more than a mere confiscation of people’s money. The CBN just confiscated the people’s money without any justification.
The Supreme court also faulted the cashless policy on the limit of money to be withdrawn from banks.
The Supreme court held that, there is no law to support such policy. The court said you cannot wake up over night and say somebody cannot withdraw his money from a bank all of a sudden.
Somebody who used to withdraw his money on daily basis without any limit, you just woke up overnight and as say, “as from today, or so so date, so so amount of money cannot be withdrawn over the counter”.
The Supreme court ruled that this cannot be done because it is not a law.
There is no law supporting it. If you want to do that one, there must be a law. The national assembly must make a law so that people will be aware.
So finally the Supreme court said, the N500 and N1000 notes shall continue to exist and be legal tender until December 21st, 2023.
What was your reaction when the judgement was passed by the Supreme court in favour of your state and other states that were joined in the suit?
I however thank God because my Governor was among the first governors who instituted the case. I thank God that people will now be relieved of their difficulties.
This policy has brought a lot of hardships to many Nigerians. Many people have died because of this Naira swap policy. The rate of crimes is increasing by the day.
People can now go and spend their old Naira notes. Even the Attorney General of the federation said that he would abide by the Supreme court judgement.
As I am talking to you now, as from today, you will be seeing the old Naira notes in circulation.
But there are rumours making the rounds that, the CBN has destroyed the N500 and N1000 old Naira notes because they have been redesigned. What is your comment on this?
I cannot actually speak on this because I am not working in banking sector but I am assuring you that the CBN must bring the money out now.
