President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday urged Nigerians to exercise more patience over the hardship caused by the redesign of naira notes.
Buhari, according to a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, made the call in a special video message from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The naira redesign, according to him, was aimed at improving the economy.
The president had in a national broadcast last Thursday extended the validity of the old N200 notes till April 10
He, however, declared that the old N500 and N1000 had ceased to be legal tender contrary to the position of the Supreme Court which held that all the naira notes remain valid pending the determination of the suit next Wednesday.
Nigerians had however described the president’s directive as an invitation to anarchy.
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In the video, he said appropriate measures would be taken by the government to ease the sufferings of Nigerians.
Buhari said: “I am appealing to you to exercise further patience as we take appropriate measures to ease these hardships. God willing, there will be light at the end of the tunnel.
“I want to once again assure you that I am fully aware of the current hardship you are facing as a result of some policies of the government which are meant to bring overall improvement to the country.”
The president also drummed support for the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, ahead of the Saturday election.
“I am not a contestant in this election, but my party, the All Progressives Congress, has a candidate in the person of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“As I mentioned before, Tinubu is a true believer in Nigeria, who loves the people and the development of our country. I am calling on all of you to vote for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. He is reliable and I trust he will build on our achievements,” he added.