NBA asks Buhari to ‘immediately’ comply with supreme court order on old naira

The federal government should immediately comply with the supreme court’s judgment extending the usability of old naira notes, according to the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).

This was said in a statement released on Monday by NBA president Yakubu Maikyau.

The highest court ruled on March 3 that the old naira shall remain legal tender till December 31.

Despite the directive, neither the federal government nor the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have made any public statements suggesting that they have complied.

The NBA president voiced concern over the burden the currency redesign program has placed on Nigerians, claiming that the federal government’s defiance of the court’s judgment demonstrates the breakdown of the democratic process and the constitution.

“The federal government has been given instructions by the highest court for the good of the people, and there is no other course of action but to follow them. According to the statement, the president has a constitutional duty to follow and implement the supreme court’s ruling.

According to Section 287 (1) of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 Constitution (as amended), all authorities, individuals, and courts with subordinate jurisdiction to the supreme court may enforce decisions of the supreme court in any area of the federation.

The fact remains, however, that we still must look to the judiciary as the only and final resort, to protect our rights as a people and secure probity in public life. Nigerians may not be overly enthusiastic about our judiciary, and this may have resulted from unsubstantiated and fanciful allegations of judicial misconduct. The Supreme Court has acted in the best interests of the country’s citizens by speaking for them and issuing directives to the government and the orders of the court must be complied with.

Any appearance of autocracy or dictatorship cannot be accepted or tolerated by us under any pretext or form. Since our kind of democracy is here to stay, it must not only be recognized by everybody, but also zealously defended and preserved. The executive cannot afford to defy the Decisions of the supreme court made for the benefit of the people who elected it to power since this is the biggest test or threat to our constitutional democracy.

“Therefore, I call on the president to immediately order compliance with the provisions of the orders made by the supreme court in its judgment delivered on March 3, 2023, on behalf of all Nigerians.

The Nigerian Bar Association is still dedicated to upholding the independence of the judiciary, promoting the Rule of Law, and establishing it. The NBA will defend the rule of law, the fairness of the courts, and the independence of the judiciary from any actions that aim to do so.

The governor of Anambra state, Charles Soludo, reportedly said that the CBN’s Godwin Emefiele told him that banks had been authorized to distribute and collect old naira notes.