Following the just concluded council of state meeting presided by President Muhammadu Buhari on 10th February 2023 at the presidential villa, the council has requested the governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele to make available new notes or recirculate old naira notes to ease the suffering of Nigerians. Briefing State House correspondents after the meeting, the Governor of Taraba State and Lagos States, Darius Ishaku Lagos and Babajide Sanwo-Olu respectively, alongside the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, said generally the policy was accepted by members of the Council but concerns were raised about its implementation.
Governor Ishaku said: “The CBN was advised to make money available in quantum. The old money can also be recirculated to ease the suffering of the poorest of the poor.
Sanwo-Olu, on his part, said the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, and Inspector General of Police, IGP Alkali Baba Usman, briefed the Council on a state of preparedness for the 2023 general election. AGF Malami said: “We are on course as far as election preparedness is concerned.”
The meeting which lasted for over four hours at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa in Abuja had in attendance former Heads of State and President, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (retd), Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd) respectively and Goodluck Jonathan, while former President Olusegun Obasanjo, joined the meeting online. Two former Chief Justices of Nigeria, Alfa Belgore and Mahmud Muhammad, were also in attendance.
Membership of the national council of state comprises the president, vice-president, secretary to the government of the federation, former presidents, former heads of state, former chief justices of Nigeria, senate president, house of representatives speaker, governors of the 36 states of the federation and the attorney-general of the federation.
