How President Buhari can tackle lingering fuel, new notes challenges – Gen. Tajudeen Olanrewaju

*Calls for military intervention in fuel distribution chain to end crisis

*Demands banks be held accountable for new notes collected from CBN

*Describes President as a statesman with unblemished personal records, who deserves cooperation, understanding of Nigerians

By BASHIR ADEFAKA

“One of the constitutional roles of the Armed Forces is to provide aid to the government in terms of crisis as this. This will be a good step for the government to call out the military to help in the distribution of petroleum products to the suffering public.”

President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, has been described as a statesman with unblemished personal records, who at this time should be cooperated with and be well understood by citizens in his policies, especially as regards as fuel and new notes issues.

Pointing this out in a statement titled, “Contingency plans for distribution and scarcity of redesigned new notes”, personally signed by him in Lagos on Friday, was former Minister of Communications and General Officer Commanding (GOC), Third Armoured Division Nigerian Army, Major General Tajudeen Olanrewaju (Rtd).

According to the former Minister, since the armed forces of the country are organically structured in logistics supply and transportation, they should be fully deployed at this critical time in the life of the country to distribute and dispense fuel and diesel materials.

General Olanrewaju, while speaking on scarcity of new naira notes in a way that has caused untold hardship for ordinary citizens, also demanded commercial banks should be held accountable for new naira notes they respectively collected from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

This he said was to ensure that the new notes get to the masses of the Nigerian people at their times of need without the problem of hoarding anywhere.

The statement read in full: “The armed forces of the federation are organic institutions of state with widespread formations and units all over the country. They are trained to hold strategic reserves in case of war and emergency services on behalf of the state. The Nigerian Army, with which I’m familiar, are organically structured in logistics supply and transportation. They could be called upon to distribute and dispense fuel and diesel materials in times of national crisis.

“As it seems now, the Nigerian citizens are going through fuel supply chain challenges mainly as a result of economic sabotage; considering the artificial scarcity of these essential POL Materials, particularly PMS, a nationwide takeover of all Federal Government’s NNPC filling stations is imperative.

“Anything that will interdict the life-wire of the State essential services of which the petroleum products are must be handled by the Federal Government in a most decisive manner. One of the constitutional roles of the Armed Forces is to provide aid to the government in terms of crisis as this.

“This will be a good step for the government to call out the military to help in the distribution of petroleum products to the suffering public. The long queues of vehicles to be filled after having to wait for many hours on line in many stations all over the country are matters of great concern, when depots hold large volumes of supplies.

“There is a big puzzle about scarcity in the supply chain. There is a serious suspicion of sabotage for whatever reasons, going on in the dispensing of petroleum products to the public. Army should be able to distribute petroleum products.

“As for the shortage of redesigned new notes, the most up-to-date impressions the public is holding is that there is a serious hoarding between the banks and some favoured customers, thus denying the poor majority access to their money.

“If this public view is tenable, then the Federal Government should consider it as a mitigating measure, the suspension of the CEOs of some of the offending banks until they purge themselves from the allegations. Those found to have erred must pay for their deeds under EFCC/DSS interrogation.

“The crisis the country is transiting through now is artificial and human constructed. Whilst the President is trying to reach a workable solution, INEC must not use this as an excuse to postpone the 2023 elections. The deadline given by the Federal Government should close the chapter of the exchange of new naira notes with the old notes.

“The trillions of old naira notes held outside the banking systems should not get through to the banks through the back doors. The banks are making the poor suffer unnecessarily. There should be measure for the banks to account for cash received by them.

“My suggestion is that the election dates should remain sacrosanct and not postponed on the ground of this exchange exercise on the redesigned new notes with the old currency. Any extension of the dates as demanded by any party is to infuse confusion to the entire process and unsettle the programmed measures towards ensuring free, fair, and safe elections arrangement.

“From the look of things, Mr. President has remained a statesman with unblemished personal records and deserves the cooperation and understanding of all Nigerians to succeed in delivering credible and generally acceptable nationwide elections results,” General Tajudeen Olanrewaju said.