By Michael Ofulue, Osogbo

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The Presidential spokesman on Media and Publicity to the immediate past president, Muhammadu Buhari, Mr Femi Adesina has said  that the  naira redesigned policy carried out by Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, reduced kidnappings and electoral fraud.

He said the idea was sold to Buhari by the erstwhile CBN Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele.

Adesina disclosed this  while fielding questions from journalists during a media chat organised by veteran journalists held at the NUJ Press Centre in Osogbo.

He said the former Governor of CBN sold the idea of new naira redesign to Buhari and defended it with every fact which the president gave him approval.

His words: “Do you know that during the new naira redesign policy that resulted to  money scarcity, kidnappers were out of business?. An APC chairman and secretary in Kano State were kidnapped, when the kidnappers saw that nobody was calling them for ransom they released them.

“Have you seen where a sitting governor lost an election? It’s because of cashless policy. Do you know that about nine former governors lost election into the senate, it is because of the policy. We have the most cleaner election in Nigeria ” it is because of the policy.

“There was a day my cooking gas got finished while cooking and had no money because there was cash scarcity, I had to borrow from someone to finish my cooking. The cash scarcity affected everyone, including those of us that were at the presidential Villa as at that time “.

While explaining how Buhari fought insecurity (Boko Haram )to a stand still, he disclosed that there was a time President Buhari gave an order to security agencies to shoot anyone with unauthorized Ak 47 rifle because it’s only security personnel that are constitutionally authorised to carry such rifle.

Justifying the criticism during the Buhari’s administration which he said was majorly from the opposition party, PDP, Adesina said his principal did his best in tackling insecurity in the country, saying Mr president believed that governance is continual.

On the accusation that former president Buhari’s administration failed to obey many court orders, the former president’s spokesman said it is not on any record that his principal disobeyed court orders, saying that the former president obeyed Supreme Court orders and directive during the cashless  policy issue.

When asked to critically access Buhari’s performance during his eight years administration, Adesina said ” you cannot access a government in one area but its entirety. You don’t access a government by its head but by entirety of the people .  

“Mr PMB is a man who is systematic and orderly in doing things, adding that many people are already missing him.”