Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Kunle Oluomo has appealed to residents of Ogun State to remain calm in the face of daunting challenges created by the ongoing currency swap of the Federal Government and not yield space to anti- democratic elements to hijack the election process.
Speaker Oluomo, who gave the admonition in an interview stated that the effects of the ongoing fiscal policy being implemented through the Central Bank of Nigeria had affected Nigerians negatively as able bodied men and women now spend better part of working hours at the banks’ ATM points.
According to Oluomo, ” while it is important to acknowledge that the currency swap is good for the economy, the process of its implementation as currently being experienced has created a lot of socio-economic hardships for Nigerians, we should thus remain calm and not to allow anti-democratic elements to hijack the process.
We should endure to the last, and come out en-masse on Saturday to exercise our franchise for the candidates of our choice”, the Speaker counseled.
The Speaker’s appeal for calm came just as impatient Sagamu residents smarting from the naira scarcity, boiled over on Monday and surged into the Sagamu Local Government Secretariat, vandalising furniture, giant generating set, overturned table and files while other property of the Local Government were also damaged.
The protesters also made bonfires at the LGA, Ita Oba, and GRA areas even as they disrupted vehicular movement and socioeconomic activities.
Not done, the protesters marched to the Union Bank and First Bank branches in Sabo area of Sagamu and attacked them, destroying their facilities, according to witnesses.
Already, 27 people have been arrested in connection with the Sagamu disturbance, according to the Police Spokesman in the state, Abimbola Oyetemi.
In Abeokuta, the state capital, residents of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, in their thousands returned to various bank branches and Automated Teller Machine points to deposit the old N500 and N1000 notes and make withdrawals without success.
While those who had need to use the banking halls were unable to gain entrance and others seeking withdrawals through the Automated Teller Machine points were left to their frustrating fate. The ATM machines have not loaded with cash for dispensing as of 11.25 a.m. on Monday.
A woman clutching a toddler to her chest in one of the commercial banks in Sapon told our our reporter that she arrived the bank’s premises around 6.35a.m. to withdraw money from the ATM point but lamented that no one has been able to get paid because the machines weren’t dispensing cash.
The distraught woman said that nobody has assured them yet whether the ATM machine will dispense cash today or not, stressing that was how she waited for over eight hours at an ATM point on a particular day last week and returned home without money.
Meanwhile, the Akarigbo and Paramount ruler of Remoland, Oba Babatunde Ajayi, has appealed to Sagamu residents, particularly the residents to remain calm and shun violence.
“I appeal to all to remain calm and peaceful as we continue to engage the federal.
“This policy is not from the state or local government. Therefore, the destruction of lives and properties will only compound an already bad situation.
“I urge our people to continue to accept the old notes in line with the Supreme Court ruling. No person who accepts the old notes would lose out. I can assure you of that, and please hold on to that promise.”
“Further, I am also mandating all our market people to continue to accept the old notes. I hereby undertake that no one will lose out for possessing the old notes,” he said.
