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Erstwhile governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola, and human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), have deplored the state of the economy, insisting drastic measures must be urgently introduced.
Speaking at a book launch, “Odia Ofeimun in Search of A Common Morality Essays, Tributes and Conversations” in Lagos, yesterday, Falana submitted: “Let me say without contradiction that majority of Nigerians have nothing to do with foreign exchange. It’s the business of the elite. Many Nigerians have not even seen a dollar before.
“There is no position in our law for the dollarisation of the Nigerian economy. Under the CBN Act, the legal tender is Naira not Dollar. In fact, it is a criminal offence to reject the Naira. Why should rents be collected in Dollar? Why should property be sold in Dollar? School fees are paid in Dollar, some professionals even collect Dollar for payment of their professional services.
“There is a group of countries trading among themselves in their local currencies. Five years ago, China and Nigeria signed a currency swap. So, I wrote to the CBN what happened, and they said the agreement is still on, and due for renewal next year. The Naira must be strengthened. If I have my way, oil must be traded in Naira. Kenya has signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia to buy oil in their local currency.”
On his part Aregbesola said: “My concern today is the economy of Nigeria. I worry. As we are advancing in growth, people could not feed very well. Eating is now an illusion. In the 60s, we ate our local food, even rice that were served during festive period. Today, Nigeria imports food and many other things, putting enormous pressure on the Naira.”
“We must reduce our dependence on imports. We must give a timeline to produce what we consume locally. It is no sovereignty if you are dependent on foreign goods.”
Ofeimun, in his speech, stressed the need for government to provide free education to Nigerians. According to him, children in northern Nigeria that are not able to go to school are owed a responsibility. He suggested: “Every child must go to school, and we should transfer it to other African countries.”
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