The rejection by the House of Representatives of the extension of the deadline for the phasing out of old currency notes announced by the Central Bank of Nigeria on Sunday is one of the trending stories in Nigerian newspapers on Monday.The Punch reports that the House of Representatives has rejected the February 10 deadline for the phasing out of old currency notes announced by the Central Bank of Nigeria on Sunday.

The House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee on New Naira Re-design and Naira Swap Policy on Sunday described the new date as a mere political gimmick to further deceive Nigerians and worsen their economic and social livelihood.

The development came as anger spread across the country over the scarcity of the new notes with several bank customers becoming stranded due to lack of access to the new notes. Retailers and traders have been rejecting the old notes amid long queues at ATM galleries across the country.

However, announcing the new deadline for the phasing out of the old N1,000, N500 and N200 notes on Sunday, the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, said the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), gave permission for the deadline to be extended to February 10 after his recent meeting with him.

He also gave additional seven days to enable Nigerians to deposit their old naira notes after it ceases to be legal tender on February 10.

The PUNCH reported that the CBN had earlier fixed January 31 as the deadline for the exchange of old N1,000, N500 and N200 notes.

Before extending the deadline, the apex bank had refused to shift grounds despite coming under severe criticisms and significant pressure from the National Assembly, politicians, banks, customers, and key stakeholders.

The newspaper says that petrol consumers have continued to groan under the burden of skyrocketing prices, as Premium Motor Spirit almost hit N400 per litre over the weekend.

The PUNCH market survey over the weekend showed while stations belonging to the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria were selling products at around N190 per litre, stations belonging to members of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria jerked up prices to between N320 and N340 per litre.

National Controller, Operations, IPMAN, Mike Osatuyi, told The PUNCH on Sunday that price was unlikely to hit N400 per litre.

According to him, his members now buy products at N280/litre at depots.

President Buhari had last week set up a 14-man committee that he would be heading to proffer solutions to the lingering fuel scarcity.

Osatuyi disclosed that the committee would be inaugurated this week.

“With the way the president has set up the committee, Nigerians should expect something good. The committee will work with operators and stakeholders and they will call us for meetings, where we will tell them what to do.

President Buhari had last week set up a 14-man committee that he would be heading to proffer solutions to the lingering fuel scarcity.

Osatuyi disclosed that the committee would be inaugurated this week.

“With the way the president has set up the committee, Nigerians should expect something good. The committee will work with operators and stakeholders and they will call us for meetings, where we will tell them what to do.

If NNPC gives us products directly and we don’t have to pass through third parties, prices will crash. IPMAN members account for 80 per cent of products in the market. So, why won’t they give us products directly? Where MOMAN stations can’t get to, our members are there! As of the weekend, we bought the product for N280 per litre before we now add transportation on it depending on the distance. So, we will sell at any price.

“You can quote me on this. NNPC is subsidising their pockets and not Nigerians. The subsidy they claim is in their pockets,” he said.

Osatuyi alleged that the state oil firm had started to avoid talks with oil marketers, and had since abandoned them to their fate.

According to him, NNPCL had failed Nigerians as the firm was completely void of solution to the scarcity, adding that the new Managing Director of the NNPCL Retail, Hubbs Stockman had not agreed to meet with them recently to proffer a solution to the petrol crisis.

The Guardian reports that the former Chairman of Trade Union Congress (TUC) in Oyo State and Convener of All Workers Convergence (AWC), Andrew Emelieze, has accused President Muhammadu Buhari’s government of debasing the country with its policies and programmes.

In a statement, yesterday, the labour leader said that it was obvious that protest was inevitable in Nigeria now, because the last seven years of Buhari had been suffocating Nigerians.

According to Emelieze, things are getting worse per moment with people regretting voting Buhari to power. He cited the current fuel and naira scarcity as proof of how Buhari is systematically and gradually strangulating Nigerians.

The unionist stated: “Our people have been choking under Buhari. Everybody is fed up, frustrated and totally disappointed in Buhari, such that the feelings of our people is that this government is cursed that it cannot do anything good. The major fear now is, can a government that has failed in all ramifications conduct successful general elections?

“It is the general view of Nigerians that Buhari has disappointed the masses. The country has been moving from one confusion to another, as if Buhari is an author of confusion.

“Our people are dying in cold blood for lack of national security. Many more are dying of poverty and in some cases suicide has been a way to escape the torture in Nigeria. Mental and the general health of Nigerians are badly affected and most of the deaths in Nigeria are as a result of social pressure. Lots more of our people are abandoned on the streets homeless and destitute, dying unnoticed by the Nigerian state, and their death unrecorded.”

He challenged the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and TUC to rise up and query the administration, to end the gradual killing of Nigerians

The newspaper says that Troops of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), in collaboration with Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), have neutralised a Boko Haram commander and 31 other terrorists in Konduga Council of Borno State.

The commander, Abu Iliya, was killed on Saturday when troops raided the terrorists’ hideout in the Kayamari-Habasha-Yuwe axis of Sambisa Forest.
A counter-insurgency expert in the Lake Chad region, Zagazola Makama, disclosed in Maiduguri, yesterday, that the troops achieved the feat following an intelligence-led patrol of the terrorist’s camps in three villages.

“The troops made contact with the terrorists in the course of a counter offensive patrol in Yuwe village,” he said, adding that this led to a heavy gun battle.

A military source in Maiduguri also said the troops successfully defeated the insurgents, while other insurgents fled in disarray upon encountering superior firepower.

The source said the fierce battle that lasted over an hour led to abandonment of the terrorists’ weapons and other property in the villages.

According to Makama, the troops also destroyed 50 bicycles recovered at the hideout.

Major General Ibrahim Ali, the newly appointed Theatre Commander of OPHK, vowed to sustain troops’ efforts towards ending the fight against the insurgents. He said all hands must be on deck to end terrorism, which has claimed many lives and property in the region.

While taking up his new office during a ceremony in Maiduguri, at the weekend, Ali had explained: “There is much to be done by troops in routing the remnants of Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) insurgents in the forest and region.”