Governor Mohammed Umar Bago of Niger State has attracted backlash after a video of him throwing naira notes at his supporters emerged on the internet.
Bago was seen standing through the roof of a moving vehicle and throwing the notes in the air as his supporters scrambled to pick them.
His action has infuriated citizens of the state including civil society, opposition political parties and clerics.
They described his action as unacceptable, wrong, dehumanizing, and constituted the abuse of the naira.
They accused him of taking advantage of the poverty and economic difficulties that pervade the state and the whole country to further abuse the sensibilities of the people.
OsunDailyNG reliably gathered that at least four persons had sustained fractures and others various injuries during Bago’s naira rain at various times across the state.
The action of the Governor, they argued, goes contrary to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Act on the use of the Naira. It says in Section 21(3): “for the avoidance of doubt, spraying of, dancing or marching on the Naira or any other notes issued by the Bank during social occasions or otherwise howsoever shall constitute an abuse and defacing of the Naira and shall be punishable under subsection (1) of this section.”
Speaking on the matter, the North Central Zonal Chairman, Campaign for Democracy, Human Right Advocacy Civil Society of Nigeria, Dr Mohammed Abdullahi Jabi, noted that the governor seemed to be ignorant of the consequences of his actions.
Jabi observed in an interview that though the governor is currently covered by immunity, his actions would only end up breeding potential beggars in the state.
“His action is sad and unfortunate. It is dehumanizing, shameful, and making a mockery of an already bad situation.
“There is the need for Governor Bago to show maturity like his counterparts in other states in learning the rudiments of governance and decorum. It is on this note that we are calling on him to desist from this zealousness that is negatively affecting his image and that of the state,” he said.
The Niger North Zonal chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Yahaya Ability, in an interview with newsmen in Minna while condemning the governor’s public spray of money, also blamed his Special Advisers on Security and that of Political Affairs who he claimed were not adequately performing their responsibilities as they ought to.
According to him, “We condemn in strong terms the unrepentant action of degrading the masses by Governor Bago. It’s unfortunate that because he has access to the public fund he has decided to use it to the detriment of those who elected him.
“We believe this is not the only way to make himself popular among the people as a sitting governor of the state. He should treat people with dignity, respect as well as have listening earsears to their cries”.
Lambasting Bago, a former Commissioner for Information and Strategy, who is the Tambarin Kagara, Alh. Umar Danladi Abdulhamid, observed that Bago had clearly violated the nation’s constitution.
“Let the Governor look for better ways of sharing public funds in a more mature manner rather than endangering the lives of the people as they struggle at once for the money he throws around, ” he said.
Some people who spoke to OsunDailyNG on the matter decried the attitude of the Governor towards the people,from saying aside throwing bundles of Naira notes on residents, especially the youths, he has failed to carry them along in projects embarked upon by his administration.
beggars”The development is very disturbing and we are calling on him to stop it. Throwing Naira notes on the people has become the order of the day, since the Governor came on board in May 2023. This is not acceptable. We voted for him to change our lives and the narratives of the state and not to dehumanize us. We are not beggars,” one of them said.
When OsunDailyNG contacted the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Bologi Ibrahim for a reaction on the issue, he promised to revert but was yet to as of the time of writing this report.
