A former presidential aide, Reno Omokri has urged the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to put the image of former President Olusegun Obasanjo on one of the redesigned naira notes.
Recall that the CBN governor had in October announced that the current N200, N500, and N1,000 notes would be replaced by the redesigned naira notes on December 15.
The apex bank also said that the existing notes would cease to be regarded as legal tender by January 31, 2023.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, Omokri said Obasanjo deserved to have his face on one of the naira notes due to his positive contributions towards Nigeria’s development.
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He described the former president as the “greatest Nigerian living or dead”.
“I appeal to the Central Bank of Nigeria to consider putting President Olusegun Obasanjo’s image on the redesigned Naira. In my opinion, he is the greatest Nigerian living or dead. He and Atiku paid off our entire foreign debt. He entrenched democracy by being the first military leader to have VOLUNTARILY surrendered power to an elected government in Africa. And he returned 20 years later to become the first civilian President to democratically transfer power to another elected President.
“General Obasanjo also led the African anti apartheid effort, and spent billions of dollars to bring freedom to South Africa. And after leaving office on October 1, 1979, he became a leader of the Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group that successfully fought for the release of Nelson Mandela.
“Upon his return as a democratically elected President, he militarily crushed a coup in São Tomé and Príncipe, and personally took the deposed democratically elected leader, Fradique de Menezes, on his Presidential jet, and restored him to power in São Tomé city, the capital.
“Chief Obasanjo also handled the Sharia crisis tactically and peacefully. On the economic front, it was under him that Nigeria had her best ever GDP growth rate in 2002, and he was able to pay off Nigeria’s foreign debt at a time when crude oil sold for $22 per barrel.
“Finally, he governed without any bias to any religion or region, including his own. And to cap it all, he has now brought peace to Ethiopia.
“May God bless Olusegun Obasanjo!”