By G9ija
The Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has appealed to the people of the state to remain calm regarding the change of currency notes, fuel scarcity and the attendant hardships accompanying them.
In a statement he signed on Saturday, the governor also urged Lagosians to avoid all forms of violence, arson, and rioting.
He said, “even in the face of the difficulties and frustrations being faced by all, violence and destruction should not and will never be the answer.”
Sanwo-Olu lamented that some of the players in the financial services value chain have taken the current challenges to mean an opportunity to extort hard-working Lagosians with extortionate charges on funds withdrawal and sale of PMS.
He appealed to those involved in such behavior to desist, saying that “it is in difficult times like these that we all need to be our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers”.
The governor said that the people should not allow those he said want to sow seeds of violence and discord through their actions, all with the view of robbing people of the chance to cast their votes on February 25 to achieve their aim.
He thanked the police and other security agencies/operatives that have been working round the clock to maintain peace, law, and order.
There were pockets of violent protests in some places in Lagos on Friday following President Muhammadu Buhari’s national broadcast on Thursday where he said the old N1,000 and N500 banknotes are no longer legal tenders, while the N200 banknote will still be in use until April 10, 2023.