Sowore calls for protest against Buhari regime over fuel, naira scarcity

Omoyele Sowore, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) for the 2023, has joined calls for protest against President Muhammadu Buhari over lingering fuel scarcity, shortage of naira in circulation and other challenges in the country.

“I am in total support of mass action against the inhuman @MBuhari regime over currency crisis, petroleum scarcity, unpaid allowances to senior @policeng officers and general suffering inflicted on Nigerians,” Mr Sowore said.

The AAC candidate disclosed this in a tweet on Wednesday as Nigerians groan of fuel scarcity and scarcity of currency.

For over a year, since it started in 2021, severe fuel scarcity has disrupted economic and commercial activities across the country with Nigerians suffering on long queues to get fuel at increased prices daily.

Similarly, there has been a shortage of the naira in circulation due to the failed naira redesign policy of the Buhari-led regime championed by the Central Bank of Nigeria’s governor, Godwin Emefiele. 

The policy was, according to CBN, targeted at recovering over 80 per cent of the country’s currency hoarded outside the banking system.

However, the mop out of huge chunks of old naira notes -N1000, N500, N200 – has resulted in acute shortage of banknotes in an economy that is overwhelmingly cash-based.