“Bandits And Kidnappers Are Now On Holiday” – Chris Ngige Hails Naira Redesign

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige has hailed the naira redesign policy implemented by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Ngige, who spoke on Wednesday during his appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme, argued that the policy has achieved some “sound benefits” despite the challenges associated with it.

According to him, the naira redesign has curbed insecurity because “kidnappers are on break,” while “bandits have also gone on holidays.”

The minister, who also noted that vote buying during the 2023 general elections was reduced, acknowledged that the policy brought pain to Nigerians because the implementation process was not smooth enough.

Chris Ngige said, “The policy is not smooth in its implementation. I admitted that. But whether it is a good policy? Yes, it is a good policy.

“It wasn’t smooth; it came with some pain but overall, did we get some sound benefits from it? Yes, we did: people didn’t buy votes on the line (queue) during the elections.

“I used to go for elections and I know what I see. There was no cash exchange for votes. It wasn’t easy anymore. Kidnappers are on break, they are on strike so to say or recess. Bandits, they have also gone on holidays.”

Chris Ngige also spoke on the issue of the shelved strike and protest by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) due to the naira scarcity.