New Notes: The President Is Not Happy That Nigerians Are Suffering – Zainab Ahmed

The Federal Government on Thursday said the  issues faced by citizens due to the introduction of the new naira notes by the Central Bank is a necessary price to pay, aso Naija reports.

Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, said this when fielding questions from journalists at the 65th session of the State House Ministerial Briefing organised by the Presidential Communications Team at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.

According to Zainab Ahmed, the current hardships, though temporal, are required to curb corruption and gradually transition into a cashless economy.

She said, “We are worried. We are not happy that citizens have to queue and struggle at ATMs to be able to get their cash. But this is a temporary situation.

“Let me just give you an analogy. If you have a wound, for you to be able to heal that wound, you need to be dressed.

“And sometimes, when you go to the hospital, they put iodine on the wound and it is very painful. It is necessary to do that to be able to get the wound to heal.

“So, it’s not easy. Mr President is not happy that citizens are suffering. But we are convinced that it is something that needs to be done at this time and also the Central Bank has been responsive in terms of providing some extension and also further explanation that comes to the closing date, it is not all over.”

She stated that with over 75 per cent of the circulating N2.7 trillion already in the banks, the policy has yielded positive results.