Controversial Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has reacted to the display of the new naira notes by a notorious terrorist leader, Kachalla Balleri, and his followers. Balleri and his terrorist followers flaunted the newly redesigned naira notes in a video that has gone viral.
The terrorist leader also claimed that he has bought new weapons with the new naira notes despite the scarcity in the country.
In an interview with The Punch on Friday, Gumi said the display of new notes by the terrorist is a show of mockery of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The cleric argued that the plan by the apex bank to curb terrorism, and kidnapping in the country through the newly redesigned notes will not be effective.
Gumi asserted that citing terrorism as the reason for the naira redesign and other CBN policy is negative, adding that it will not bring any good results.
He said: “These (terrorists) are people who have grievances and also like to improve their image. The CBN governor mentioned that the reason for changing the notes was to deprive terrorists (of money). They (terrorists) hear him and say, “Here is your money with us”. They can catch (kidnap) people and collect new ones (naira notes) and even demand something else like foreign currency.
“So, citing terrorism as the reason for this draconian rule in a democratic nation is negative; it will not bring any good results. It (the display of new notes by the terrorist) is a show of mockery.”
Reacting to the new naira scarcity, Gumi said the deadline given by the CBN to phase the old notes out was one of the reasons for the crisis.
The controversial cleric said the deadline was not feasible because it was too short, adding the execution of the policy was clumsy.
He said: “Yes. I was one of the people that said it (the deadline) was not feasible and I envisaged that it was going to be removed. The government has programmes but in executing the programmes, it is very clumsy; it’s not well thought out.
“I heard an economist saying that when you have three great events in the same year using the same resources, one has to give way. You cannot over-task your donkey, else, it will collapse.”
