Ogun residents boo Dapo Abiodun over naira scarcity; governor apologises

Ogun State governor Dapo Abiodun suffered humiliation on Wednesday while on an open-air campaign motorcade in Abeokuta, the state capital.

Hundreds of residents poured on the governor’s route in the Ibadan business district jeering at him and his entourage over the gripping hardship occasioned by the scarcity of banknotes which has crippled people’s livelihoods.

In a viral video, some protesters were heard shouting: “thief, thief, we don’t want.” The crowd also rejected campaign souvenirs including t-shirts and hats being shared by the governor’s entourage.

“Please don’t be angry. I am not the one responsible for the policy,” Mr Abiodun begged the agitated crowd in the Yoruba language. “I am also not happy seeing you like this. I am not the CBN, Please be patient, the matter will soon be resolved,” he pleaded desperately.

Mr Abiodun is seeking a second term in office but has faced stiff opposition from residents and political rivals who say his performance over four years has been below par.

The governor had previously sought to oppose the directive of the presidency and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) which stated that old N1,000 and N500 notes have ceased to be legal tenders and should be taken out of circulation as his agents shared his own directive alongside the old naira notes to effect his directive. 

The conflicting directives sent the state into chaos on Monday as commercial banks rejected the old naira note leading to protests from the citizens where violence and destruction of properties were later recorded.