Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate for the 2023 general elections, said one of the three naira notes about to be redesigned should feature an image of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
In a series of tweets on Saturday, Atiku praised the 85-year-old elder statesman and African Union mediator for facilitating peace talks between the Ethiopian government and Tigrayan rebels after two years of devastating conflict in Africa’s second-most populous country that has claimed thousands of lives and left millions in need of aid.
In a statement issued this week, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) agreed to “permanently silence the guns” and end the two-year conflict in northern Ethiopia.
On November 4, 2020, Nobel peace laureate Abiy sent troops into Tigray after accusing the regional ruling party, the TPLF, of attacking federal army camps.
On Saturday, Atiku praised Obasanjo’s “extraordinary prowess” in bringing peace to Ethiopia.
“I am not surprised. I know my boss. He did the same thing in Liberia and São Tomé and Príncipe during our time in office,” the PDP candidate said. Atiku was Nigeria’s Vice-President between May 1999 and May 2007 when Obasanjo was a democratically elected President. Obasanjo and Atiku’s second term in office was not smooth but the two would later resolve their differences.
“If for nothing else, he is most deserving of a Nobel Peace Prize, and I will nominate him when entries are open for nominations.
“Africa is blessed to have a statesman of such impeccable democratic credentials as Chief Obasanjo. A man whose image ought to be in the redesigned Naira note to inspire future generations of Nigerians to sacrifice for their nation and continent,” he added.
Reno urges CBN to consider Obasanjo for new naira notes
The Herald had reported that 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.
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!”
Godwin Emefiele, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), announced on October 26 that the apex bank will issue redesigned N200, N500, and N1,000 notes beginning December 15, 2022, with the new and existing currencies remaining legal tender and circulating together until January 31, 2023.
In recent months, Atiku and other frontline presidential candidates such as Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) have paid Obasanjo visits at his Abeokuta residence. The former military leader, however, has not endorsed any candidate.
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