Author: The Nation

By Sunday Dare

The evolution of the All Progressives Congress (APC) into the governing party and the emergence of its candidate, General Muhammad Buhari as the President- elect prove a fundamental truth. A single visionary blessed with a courage equal to his vision is ultimately more powerful than a vast multitude that is devoid of sight, courage and sound counsel.

General Buhari, a personification of integrity, stalwart patriotism and decency, was the inevitable candidate and is the right man to be president this time. Complementing him as the necessary strategic catalyst of this great democratic feat has been Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Never in the history of our nation has an incumbent President lost to his challenger. For that to happen is a profound feat. For that feat to come about through a newly merged political party is something bordering on the impossible. Yet, in Nigeria, that is exactly how our democracy has been secured and our chance for a better future revived.

As the primary architect of the All Progressives Congress and a key strategist in its drive to become the government of this nation, Bola Tinubu has earned history’s verdict as a true and committed democratic.

At moments when others threatened to quit or did quit, Tinubu stuck doggedly to the course. When the Alliance for Democracy ran into stormy weather and was hijacked by reactionary elements funded by the government in power, Tinubu established a new party, the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN. From his solitary redoubt in Lagos, the ACN cast its progressive message and Tinubu attracted able and committed people to the democratic cause and to his course in it.

The epic turn from governing a single state to governing a nation had begun. Few believed, as Asiwaju did, that this achievement was within reach. The ACN went on to win six states and secure the South-West for the progressive cause.

And when the time came to re-shape Nigerian opposition nationwide into one body, Tinubu took the lead in sowing together the different political parties into a workable whole. In the face of state-sponsored attacks and spirited attempts to scuttle the merger, Tinubu led the team of political fighters to make APC a reality. The period between the formation of the party, the formation of the party executive, to its convention in Lagos, the national presidential campaign and now the elections has been one characterised by dangerous moves, plots and turns against him. Tinubu survived them all and remained standing.

As the intellectual force behind the APC, Tinubu never wavered. General Buhari and Chief Bisi Akande were the strongest and most faithful of allies in this great effort.

These are statesmen of high caliber who never shook when the adverse wind blew. If along the way Tinubu had wavered, many would have wavered with him. The story today would have been a different, inferior one. He remained standing even when many tried to make him fall.

Tinubu is brave at heart and large in vision. He has the fortitude to stand when times get tough and when doubt becomes as thick as fog. He forges ahead while others succumb to fear. He stands alone when others are tired and sit down. This rare man chooses to take risks and stake everything he has for a just cause. He stands alone when he makes unbelievable sacrifices in order to achieve a greater goal. He excels in the wee lonely hours; when others are asleep, he pours over Nigeria’s problems in search of solutions. He stands alone when he makes the tough, necessary decisions, not minding how he will be perceived. He stands alone when he refuses to join the doubters and holds on to the believe that it is possible.

For standing against the tide of greater power and might all these years, Tinubu has achieved something for all us. He is truly an architect of modern Nigeria, a driving force behind a new Nigeria and one of the fathers of a truly democratic two party system.

Tinubu has ushered Nigeria into the meeting hall of democratic nations. By staying the course, by investing his intellect, experience and resources in the struggle for a better country and by working with people of like minds, Tinubu has helped lift the nation from its despair.

APC’s electoral success is not a fluke. It was earned. It came as a result of great sacrifices and through the efforts of the key drivers and other leaders who kept steadfast even when hope seemed lost. The long hours on the road and in the air criss- crossing the nation, spreading the message of change and urging others to join the party bore fruit. The APC ship got many on board. Not even the attacks from the PDP could sink it.

On the campaign trail, Tinubu was a firebrand. He easily excited the crowd whenever he spoke. People were sure to taste of his wit, his incisive political jabs and his commanding vision about what APC can do to change Nigeria. Perhaps the greatest lines of the 2014/2015 presidential campaign that will never be forgotten and will remain in the books for a very long time is that from Tinubu. Responding to attacks by the PDP that the APC presidential candidate, General Buhari was a former general and should not be trusted, Tinubu had a reply for them in full measure that shut them up. Tinubu roared at the Abeokuta campaign, “When France needed to get out of political troubles, it tapped Charles De Gaulle. When America needed solid political leadership, it called on Eisenhower. Nigeria needs fixing and the man for the job is General Muhammadu Buhari”. This answer and analysis from Tinubu settled the argument. It won many over and shut the mouths of the politicians on the other side. On the campaign trail from the south to the north, Tinubu was a delight. Fired up and in his elements, he was unrelenting. He saw what many did not see that APC would form the next government and restore hope to Nigerians.

Whenever the history of this political era in Nigeria is written, it will be said that there was one man, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who stood firm in the commitment and courage to make the difference for Nigeria. Tinubu is a class act and is in a class by himself. From the corporate world, he took the political scene in Lagos by storm. This was after a commanding performance in the pro-democracy struggle to liberate Nigeria from the clutches of military dictatorship. He was at the vanguard of democracy in the days of the NADECO struggle. Since then, he has never looked back. As governor of Lagos state, he excelled in governance. He brought out the excellence in Lagos through a combination of pragmatic decisions and financial and social engineering that turned it into a model city.

Lagos today is a reference point. He took over the South-West, reshaping the political landscape in a positive and dynamic way. He was instrumental in identifying 6 men who today remain some of the best governors this country has ever known. On the national stage, he was a constant voice of opposition. Unwavering, unbowed, unbeatable, Tinubu was the fulcrum of opposition politics. His voice rang out loud and clear against injustice, impunity and mis-governance.

For his progressive views and opposition to government, Tinubu suffered. His businesses suffered. His political structures came under severe assault. Enemies sought to ruin his reputation. They dragged him to court, hoping to jail him but failed. In all, he survived and remained standing. Through all of these, he has remained humble and self-effacing.

In the explosive celebration that followed the victory of the APC in the Presidential election, someone in the tiny crowd that gathered in his office said, “Your Excellency Tinubu, this is your finest hour”. Tinubu shot back, “No. This is Nigeria’s finest hour and it is the best birthday gift I can ever wish for”. He went on to describe the victory of General Buhari as, “a moment when hope is re-born, faith is rekindled and a fresh fire of patriotism is released for the task ahead”.

That is the measure of a man who sees ultimate victory in the emancipation of his people and the triumph of good over evil. Tinubu has seen it all. Today he stands tall in humility. He has survived where others were crushed. He has achieved what others failed to achieve for our country politically. He has been this gneration’s’ most consummate and strategic political mind. History will record that.

If anyone ever doubted the veracity of a sobriquet – last man standing – given to Tinubu, they should doubt no longer. The title is more than valid. More importantly, this last and only man standing dedicated himself to a great and selfless task that we all may stand to feel the morning rays of genuine democracy shine upon us.

•Sunday Dare, Minister of Youth and Sports, was Chief of Staff/Special Adviser media to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Senator Mukhail Adetokunbo Abiru represents Lagos East District in the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly. He spoke with reporters in Lagos on his legislative activities, preparations for the general election and other national issues. Deputy Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU reports.

You left banking for politics about three years ago. Can you share your experience in the two sectors?

Banking and politics are two different sectors. But the same level of competence and exposure is required. My prior experience, which is in the corporate world, is more of what shaped me as a person. I spent about 22 years in the corporate world. It was immediately after I graduated from the university. First, that exposed me very widely; modelled my person and widened my horizon. I am saying this because I passed through all the stages of development. As you rightly know, I graduated as an economist. Then, I worked for Deloitte, then known as Akintola Williams & Co. after this, I joined Guarantee Trust Bank (GTB) at its infancy. When I joined in 1991, GTB only had one branch located at Ademola Alakija. That is where about 42 of us were operating as the staff of GTB. I grew up with the bank after spending 10 years there. I joined First Bank and spent 15 years, bringing my banking experience to 25 years. Again,I spent four additional years as the Group Managing of Skye Bank Plc and at the same time Managing Director of Polaris Bank. I midwifed the process of revamping the from imminent challenges and ensured its stability in terms of potential ratios. Given that life cycle, that is about 29 years in banking. With three years before banking, that is about 32 years. During that cycle, with all sense of modesty, one grew up within a structured environment and rose to the pinnacle of the environment. As you know, I got to the pinnacle of my career in First Bank Plc and left as Executive Director. During my 15-year stint, I had a sabbatical leave of two years when I served as the Commissioner of Finance in Lagos State under the Babatunde Fashola administration. All these experiences would have shaped the mind of a young graduate from 1990 to date in terms of exposure to life, influence and widening of horizon. That speaks to the fact that one did not cut any corner. One grew up with the system. By the time I was retiring and came into politics, I brought competence, experience and goodwill to my responsibility as the senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

 When you joined the senatorial contest, you campaigned on broad promises. Have you fulfilled all the promises you made to the people of Lagos East?

With all sense of responsibility, I have lived to the expectation of my constituents both in terms of effective and quality representation. If you are speaking in terms of legislative role, I have been able to sponsor 13 bills and three motions within the period that I have been in the saddle. Of significance among the bills are the Copyright Bill, 2021; Franchise Regulation Bill, 2022 and the Federal High Court Act (Amendments) Bill, 2022. If you look at the Copyright Bill and Franchise Regulation Bill, they tend to harness and strengthen the entrepreneurial ability of our micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). The bills will also help our resourceful youths because there is a need to protect and help them take full advantage of their creativity. This is what the Copyright Bill, 2021 tends to achieve. The world we live in today is a world of creativity and innovation. That last time we improved on our copyright regime was during the military era. As you rightly know, there are several developments that have since taken place in terms of creativity and innovation. There is a need to protect our upcoming and existing entrepreneurs so that they can get the full reward of their creativity. The same thing speaks to the Franchise Regulation Bill, 2022. This bill tends to protect both the franchisee and franchisor. We use the word franchise loosely in the country. It will surprise a lot of people that there is no law that protects the parties that are involved. On its part, the Federal High Court Act (Amendments) Bill, 2022 seeks to protect creditors from debtors so that they get adequate compensation. As we all know, it takes a while before you get proper redress when you go to court. There is a need to compensate adequately on what we call pre-judgment interest when it comes to litigation between creditors and debtors.

    Apart from the bills you sponsored, can you shield light on the motions you moved since you have been representing Lagos East in the Senate?

I have equally been able to move motions of high impact to the broad spectrum of my constituents. The first is the motion to accelerate and fast-track the rehabilitation of the Ikorodu-Sagamu road. If you go there today, there is a significant improvement along that corridor. The second is the motion for the rehabilitation of the Ikorodu-Itokin-Epe road. Unlike the Ikorodu-Sagamu road where there is significant improvement already, rehabilitation is at the initial stage on the Ikorodu-Itokin-Epe road. The last time there was seemingly proper rehabilitation on that road was 1975 under General Yakubu Gowon. These are corridors that drive economic activities of my senatorial district. If you look at the corridor, you will see the linkage between Epe and Ikorodu. You will also see the linkage between Lagos East and other parts of Nigeria, especially the South-east and South-south. These are the link roads for those corridors. These are the high impact ideas that will improve the lives of my constituents.

Beyond your legislative roles, what other interventions have you facilitated for the people of Lagos East since you have been in the saddle?

I anchored my representation to three major pillars – legislation, empowerment and endowment. I have already spoken extensively on my legislative role, which is my primary responsibility. The second pillar directly relates to empowerment. This, I will admit, lies more on facilitation. But I am also happy to say that I have looked at empowerment from three broad areas – education, healthcare services and socio-economic aspects of our lives. In the area of education, I am happy to report that with my intervention, we have been able to bring development of classrooms to 15 different schools across the senatorial district. From Ikorodu to Epe, Ibeju-Lekki, Kosofe and Somolu, there are various projects in terms of school development that I have facilitated. In terms of healthcare services, I have facilitated the building and construction of three primary health centres in Agboyi-Ketu, Kosofe Local Government Area; Ikorodu North and Lagos State University of Science and Technology. Before the end of this administration, I will ensure that these facilities are equipped so that they can be opened for public use. In the area of socio-economic activities, I have taken different steps to improve the lives of my constituents. First, in relation to our youths, we have been able to facilitate the building of a 960-capacity stadium in Epe with a football pitch, volleyball court, long tennis court and other amenities. Second, we also redeveloped an ancient fish market in Epe called Oluwo Market. We have done complete rehabilitation of the market for the better use of our constituents. When we were inaugurating the market, we gave grants to over 250 market women to support their trade. Third, we have initiated a development programme for our MSMEs. Under this scheme, we have put together a capacity building programme for about 1,000 constituents. We brought in both financial and regulatory experts that can guide them as to how their businesses can get better, particularly in this time of digital transformation. We went to institute Constituency Revolving Loan to support the activities of our MSMEs. We have set up a N300 million fully cash-backed revolving facility at a single digit interest rate of six percent. You cannot find that in any part of the country. This is also to strengthen the capacity of our existing and upcoming entrepreneurs. What we are appealing is that there must be judicious use of that facility. Fourth, we have not even left our vulnerable constituents, especially those who were affected at the height of COVID-19. I came in late 2020. By 2021, COVID-19 was still a major challenge for Nigerians. What I have done is to define the vulnerable into five categories – aged people, women, widow, youths and people with physical difficulty. We collected data of about 2,500 constituents in these categories. We have been giving a stipend of N5,000 each of them monthly since that time to date. We have done that religiously via direct credit transfer. We have expended over N150 million on this scheme. The third pillar focuses on endowment. That speaks to my own personal giveback to society. My wife, children and I resolved that I must make a difference. That has been part of the burden that I carry on this assignment. As a result, we set up a foundation, which focuses more on human capital development, essentially speaking to how we can help our teeming and resourceful youths and entrepreneurs within Lagos East so that they can become very competitive in this current world of innovation and global competitiveness. In the light of this, we have set up an innovation centre, which we call Senator Abiru Innovation Lab. This is not just the way labs are set up. We have approached from two main angles. First, we have approached it from the facility setup angle. Second, we have looked from the faculty-led angle. So, we see ourselves providing that enabling environment when young people can come and improve their skills so that they can be employable and at the same time globally competitive. After setting up the facility, we have partnered with the specialised firm that is called CO-Creation Hub (CC-Hub). This is a technology and innovation that combines social capital to bring about accelerated economic growth and prosperity in different communities across Africa. In essence, our partnership presents a facility arrangement that is world standard and a faculty that will teach them basic skills on innovation and technology. As we speak, this has since come into effect way back 2022. I am happy to report that about 250 of our constituents have actually benefited from this programme. We are talking about programmes like tech talent whereby our graduates are exposed to software engineering. There is also an acceleration programme wherein our entrepreneurs are taught how they can use technology to grow their businesses. We equally have STEM Programmes. That is science, technology, engineering and mathematics. That is for the young minds between 13 and 18. This is to expose those young minds to the world of innovation and technology. While we are doing all these programmes, we have to be mindful of the plight of our teachers. We instituted Teachers’ Fellowship, which exposes teachers to what we described as enquiry-based learning.

Now that you are seeking re-election, what will be your focus if eventually re-elected?     

Let me start by saying life itself is static. I am appealing, canvassing and campaigning just like every other candidate. That means I will not take my people’s mandate for granted if re-elected. To the extent that life is not static, I also know I will continue to dream and think on how to make an impact on people’s lives. Speaking broadly, my key focus will remain on how we can continue to improve the lives of MSMEs if I eventually win the next senatorial election. They are very dear to me because of the role they play in any economy. They are the highest and largest employers of labour. In Nigeria, they account for over 80 percent of the total employment. In terms of GDP, they contribute between 60 and 65 percent. They are a very important sector and segment of the economy. To that extent, my focus will continue to sponsor both laws and motions that improve the sector. We live in a world of innovation and technology. We have to find a way that will bring this into the consciousness of MSMEs. Also, I will focus on championing fiscal discipline. We must appreciate the Ninth Senate for coming up with a predictive timeline for the budget process. Every year, at least, we make sure that budget is passed before the end of a financial year. But that is not what fiscal discipline is all about. There are other issues that we need to factor into the budget. One of such issues relates to the mix of the budget itself. It is an arm of fiscal discipline that I will champion in the Tenth Senate. When we talk about the budget mix, it is still largely skewed towards recurrent expenditure, which takes the larger chunk of the budget. We have to look for a way to reverse the existing budget mix. What brings about development is when the capital expenditure is more pronounced in the budget mix than the recurrent expenditure. This will be uppermost for me. In terms of fiscal discipline again, we must ensure strong compliance with extant laws whether it is the CBN Act or Fiscal Responsibility Act. the way and manner we handle the use of ‘ways and means’ must now be put to check. We must deal with issues like that. We have to strongly deal with it. The same thing applies to our revenue profiling and revenue accretion. We must work out how we will improve our revenue accretion to the government. The potential is there. We have to make sure that the government-owned enterprises up their games. They have to optimise their potential in terms of generating more revenue so that pressure on borrowing will reduce. Likewise, we have to find a way to moderate our expenditure. I am aware we have some documents such as the Oronsaye Report. We have to bring it out wherever it is kept and dust it to bring some moderation into our expenditure. If we put all these in place, what we will achieve is fiscal discipline. It will reduce the pressure on borrowing. There is nothing wrong with borrowing. I do not have any problem with borrowing that focuses on capital expenditure. But there must be discipline in all areas before we result in borrowing. These are the areas I will focus on when eventually re-elected. Again, I will also be particular about how we will continue to support our present and past capitals. This is very important because our capitals remain the reflection of our entire country. Whether it is Abuja or Lagos, we have to work out a way to support our capitals so that they remain reference points. That is another area of concentration for me. I will also pursue issues around devolution of power be it police or how we can devolve more power to the sub-national governments. I am going back into this race so that I can join my other colleagues to ensure that we have a better country with respect to all these key areas that I have mentioned.

 In the forthcoming elections, what is the chance of the APC winning the presidential contest?

 I have attended several campaigns with our National Leader and Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I am overwhelmed and impressed with the massive turnout of supporters everywhere we went to campaign. Whether it is Kaduna, Kwara, Jos or Akure, there was massive turnout. We are not taking the outpour of love and support for granted. This also speaks to the progressive politics of APC. It equally speaks to the fact that APC is a party that lives up to its promises. That is why I strongly believe that our chance is high in the next elections. Beyond, APC is a party that parades the best candidates for all elective competition. If you look at the profiles of our candidates, you will definitely agree with me. Let me start with our presidential candidate. Of all the candidates in the presidential contest, he parades the best qualifications for the job in terms of being tested, competence and capacity.

These are not hidden facts. Competence and capacity are qualities he has built over the years both as a private sector actor and as a public administrator. In the private sector, he gave very good accounts and rose up to the position of Treasurer of a foremost oil exploration company in this country. In politics, as far back as 1992, he was at one point Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation, Banking and Finance, which has today been demarcated into three or four committees. That speaks to his competence and capacity.

 And it is an attestation of his ability to deliver. In 1999, Lagos was at the lowest ebb of development when he became the governor of the state. The transformation agenda that he put up as a visionary leader is part of what has been built up today. That makes Lagos a livable and accommodative even for those candidates that are contesting with him in this presidential race.

They cannot live in their own states which they have governed or which they have part of. What do say about such a leader? He is a leader that is tested and a leader that has capacity. Also, he made Lagos to overcome ecological challenges of the Bar Beach that affected almost one thirds of the state. He has turned it into an asset that we proudly call Eko Atlantic City. That is another beautiful thing that has come to fruition under his watch. A lot of people have talked about how he grew the state’s internally generated revenue without knowing what he did to transform it. The automation that he brought in 1999 or 2000 into the state is what the successive governments have built on. This has enhanced the fortune of the state from N600 million monthly revenue generating state to N7 billion before he left office and N51 billion today. That is what leadership is all about. Leadership is about those thinkers who can deploy both human and natural resources for the good use of the society. For these reasons, we are confident about his success at the poll. To let you know how progressive APC is, look at our governor in Lagos State. He also speaks to those who have a performance mentality to deliver on whatever they promised. Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu came in at the time of COVID-19 when almost all economies in the world were shut down with immediate recession after authorities relaxed restrictions. Nigeria was not an exception. In this country, there are states that are still struggling to meet the payment of salaries. Our governor here has not only met salary payment to all workers and pensioners, but also kept the state safe for us. He has built infrastructure. Proudly, he just inaugurated light rail (blue line) recently. In my district, he inaugurated the largest rice mill in sub-Saharan Africa. We have Lagos Deep Sea Port, which has the capacity to outdo the performance of the existing ports. On those performance indices, the governor himself has earned his second term. APC, being a progressive party, will always parade the best candidates that will lead the people. That is speaking to them. I am also a testimony to the kind of candidates that APC will always project. For me, the chance of APC is very high in the coming elections. We are set for it. We have campaigned very well. It is one of the toughest campaigns, and we have seen the outpour of love and support from the populace.

    Do you see the presidential candidate of Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi as a threat to APC?

    For me, I do not see it at all. People might get carried away with all opinion polls. But being an accountant and economist, I understand statistics is all about. First, in a country of our size, people conduct opinion polls with 6,000 or 10,000 samples. I do not think it reflects the mood of the nation. Second, I do not see it as a threat because his party cannot fill other elective positions, especially when you are talking about the National Assembly. We have 109 seats in the Senate and 360 seats in the House of Representatives. I do not think the Labour Party has filled about five percent of this figure. So, I am wondering where the support base is going to come from. We are not worried at all. We believe we have the support of our people. We will not take that support for granted. What will continue to do is to maintain our focus and deliver on the job come February 25 and March 11.

    With all crises in the country today, do you believe there will be free and fair election

    I believe strongly that there will be free and fair elections. Electoral Act 2022 has improved our electoral culture in terms of preparation. We are in the era of BVAS now. The incident of manipulation will be largely reduced. We are going to find the combination of PVCs and the use of BVAS. It will be difficult to manipulate. In terms of logistics, I believe adequate arrangements have been made for INEC and all the agencies. I do not see any form of manipulation. I see a peaceful election ahead. We are also awaiting a victory that will further project APC.

    What is your position on the currency redesign?

    For me, currency redesign is not a bad idea. If I start from the beginning, CBN has adduced reasons it has to come into place. I tend to agree with some. But I disagree with others. For me, the notion around it has been long since we changed the currency and as such it is highly susceptible to counterfeiting and money laundering is well placed. Also, the CBN has followed the extant laws to justify its decision. However, I disagree with the notion that currency redesign will tame inflation. I also disagree with the notion that we have too much currency out of the vaults of the banks. In taming inflation, you are talking about excess supply of currency or money in circulation. Based on CBN’s statistics, we have about N52 trillion in terms of the entire money supply in the country. When we are talking about money supply, we are talking about time deposit, fixed deposit, demand deposit and all that we have including currency circulation. If you have a basket of N52 trillion, one of the variables in that basket, which currency in circulation, accounts for N2.7 trillion. That is about 5.6 percent of the basket. I am not sure you can tame inflation with that. Inflation is about excess money. I totally disagree with the notion that we have so much money that we must tame. Also, empirically, what is adjudged to be the size of money in circulation between 8 and 10 percent. We are just about 5.6 percent. In England, India, Japan and China, what you find is between 8 and 10 percent. If we are still at 5.6 percent, I think it is reasonable. I equally do not agree with the timing. This is part of the problem that brought about challenges to the people. A typical example is the United Kingdom. Queen Elizabeth died about six months ago. They have given themselves enough time between 18 and 24 months to change the currency from the old queen to the new king. If a developed country with all the wherewithal and structure is taking 24 months, I do not know the magic you want to achieve within six months. I also disagree with the idea of pushing two policies at the same time. CBN is doing cash currency redesign and at the same pushing for demonetisation. This means CBN wants to recall the currency. When you recall the currency, you do not intend to give back what you have recalled. You want a part of what you recall to go into digital currency. First, The combination, though it may be well-intended, is seriously shocking to the system. This is a system that is largely informal in nature. Our environment, by IMF statistics, shows that the informal system of our nature accounts for about 80 percent. How do you change an informal system overnight? Second, you look at your capacity to cope. You rely on infrastructure. The banks are trying and gradually improving their capacity to cope with a cashless system. Do not forget they need more time for them to criss-cross all parts of Nigeria. Third, infrastructure runs on power supply. We know the situation of power supply in the country today. How do you intend to bring that kind of policy within a short period. With all these issues, I think, the CBN should ally itself with the position of the Council of State and that of our National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu that two currencies should be allowed to run side by side so that we can continue to regain confidence in the system. What do I mean by confidence? A lot of older people have lost confidence in the banking system. It is like you are luring them to bring their money. Almost immediately, they do not have access to cash again. That is how you erode confidence in the system. What might even surprise those in authority is that by the time they pump enough money into the system, people will not be too confident to release all their money back into the system. This is simply because they do not want to go through this kind of challenge again. We are more or less waning their confidence in the system because once bitten, twice shy. So, we have to be very careful. I think the cure should start now so that we ameliorate the suffering of the people. We are hurting MSMEs. Yes, CBN has good policy at hand. But there is no point to rush. If you are talking about elections, it is an activity that takes place once every four years. But cash is like the blood circulation system of a man. You need it almost on a daily basis. It is not to worsen people’s situation in the economy