Anambra CAN supports NLC’s proposed nationwide strike
The Christian Association of Nigeria, Anambra State chapter has disclosed that it was solidly supporting the Nigeria Labour Congress for their proposed nationwide industrial action over the federal government and Central Bank of Nigeria cashless and naira redesign policies as the hardship continued to hit harder on Nigerians
Recall that NLC had threatened to begin the nationwide strike and barricade the premises of the Central Bank of Nigeria, by Monday, next week if CBN failed to release more currencies into circulation to enable civil servants to have access to their monies in various commercial banks in order to pay their transport fares to their workplaces and also to cater to the needs of their families.
Anambra state Chairman of CAN, Venerable Joseph Nweke made this disclosure at the two-day Retreat organized for Anglican Church Bishops and Priests, by the Anglican Diocese on the Niger at the All Saints’ Cathedral, Onitsha.
He stressed that Anambra CAN has stood behind the proposed nationwide strike because the negative effects of the poorly executed two policies of cashless economy and naira swap have adversely affected many Nigerians.
Venerable Nweke who is the Archdeacon of Onitsha Inland Town Archdeaconry said, “the Supreme Court has since ordered CBN to release the old naira notes they confiscated from Nigerians since they are not able to give us the redesigned naira notes but it appears they have disobeyed the court order”.
” African and Western countries that are practising cashless economy usually build infrastructures first of all upon which the system would run smoothly but in the present policy on cashless economy in Nigeria, the federal government did not consider infrastructures such as the system that will enhance free flow of cash through the internet “.
“Secondly, the federal government introduced the two policies of cashless economy and currency swap at the same time and non of them was properly arranged in such a way it will help the citizens. Currently swap, as a policy is expected that government should print new naira notes so that if you bring your old naira notes, they will swap it with the new ones”.
“Rather, what they did in Nigeria is to persuade the citizens to surrender their old notes to the commercial banks and instead of swapping them straightaway, they confiscated the old notes without supplying the new ones, thereby throwing the masses into an unprecedented chaos till date”.
While commenting on the just concluded general elections, Nweke reasoned that the Independent National Electoral Commission has failed to abide by the policies they set out for the general elections.
He expressed dissatisfaction with the whole processes applied by INEC, describing it as very dubious questionable processes that made many Nigerians to question the authenticity of the results they announced nationwide.
“INEC failed Nigerians woefully even when they collected huge amount if monies running into billions of naira for a free and fair processes. CAN Anambra state observed the elections in the state and most of our reports are indicting INEC and not even the politicians as was usually the case in the past”.