Redesigned Naira Note should have Obasanjo’s Image, says Atiku

Former Vice President and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has suggested that one of the three naira notes about to be redesigned by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) should have the image of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Atiku made the suggestion in a series of tweets on his verified handle on Saturday, while saluting his former boss for leading peace talks between the Ethiopian Government and Tigrayan rebels after two years of devastating conflict that have claimed several lives.

He also pledged to nominate the 85-year-old former Nigerian ruler for the Nobel peace prize when nominations are formally opened, saying Obasanjo deserved it.

Recall that PM Abiy Ahmed’s government and Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) had in a statement recently agreed to “permanently silence the guns” and end the two years of conflict in northern Ethiopia.

Atiku tweeted, “I celebrate the extraordinary prowess of His Excellency, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, in bringing peace to Ethiopia. I am not surprised. I know my boss. He did the same thing in Liberia and São Tomé and Príncipe during our time in office.

If for nothing else, he is most deserving of a Nobel Peace Prize, and I will nominate him when entries are open for nominations.

Africa is blessed to have a statesman of such impeccable democratic credentials as Chief Obasanjo. A man whose image ought to be in the redesigned Naira note to inspire future generations of Nigerians to sacrifice for their nation and continent.

On behalf of my family, I congratulate you, President Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR, for successfully ending the Ethiopia-Tigray conflict. And I thank God for the gift of wisdom and foresight He gave you, which you have used creditably to steer Nigeria and Africa on the right path. – AA”

The conflict between the Ethiopian Government and Tigrayan rebels erupted on November 4, 2020, when Nobel peace laureate Abiy sent troops into Tigray after accusing the TPLF, the regional ruling party, of attacking federal army camps.