Apex Igbo soci-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide warns of a looming nationwide chaos in Nigeria.
~ As Fuel, cash scarcity, worsens
They gave the warning as Nigerians battle worsening scarcity of the redesigned Naira notes and high cost of petrol.
The youths alleged of a plot by some elements to scuttle the 2023 general elections and scuttle Nigeria’s democracy.
Across the country, the citizens face severe difficulty in having access to the new notes, just as a litre of petrol now goes for over N450. 00.
The development has thrown families into untold hardships, with the new notes now being sold.
In a statement on Friday by the National President of the Ohanaeze Youths, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, he said the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, should take action before it is too late.
The youths warned that the EndSARS protest would be a child’s play compared to what may befall the nation in the next few days.
“How do we explain a situation where our poor parents can no longer feed their children?
“How do we explain a situation where our sick relatives are left to die because there is no money to buy drugs whereas their money is trapped in the banks?
“We can no longer keep quiet in the midst of this avoidable chaos. There is no doubt that the policy as rolled out by the CBN was a good one, but there is also incontrovertible evidence that the apex bank was ill-prepared for the smooth implementation.
“This is why we warn that enough is enough. If the CBN cannot make the new notes available, it should allow the commercial banks commence circulation of the old notes pending such a time when the new notes would be available in the right quantity.
“Anything short of this is an invitation to anarchy and avoidable chaos as Nigerians are running out of patience. Images and videos from across the country say it all,” the group stated.
It also described as unacceptable the fuel crisis in the country which had persisted for several months despite assurances from the Federal Government.
The youths wondered why petrol should be selling for as high as N500 per litre whereas the Federal Government said subsidy removal would take effect from June 2023.
“The implication of all these is that some persons are desperately working to truncate the 2023 general elections.
“We are beginning to see this as a grand-plot to throw the nation into an avoidable crisis and find reasons to postpone the polls.
“Let it be on record that Emefiele and the NNPC would be held responsible should anything happen to the country’s democracy,” the youth leaders warned.