By Okechukwu Onuegbu
Awka
A human right and pro-democracy group, Human Rights,Liberty Access and Peace Defenders Foundation (HURIDE), has called on the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, to either resign or get sacked for introduction of cashless policy which requires Nigerians to pay certain amounts for depositing money in the banks.
The group in a release signed by its chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of HURIDE, Dede Uzor A. Uzor, described the latest cashless policy as "anti-people , obnoxious, evil, anti-democracy, and economically backward".
" How can a serious minded Government which has concern for its citizens compel its people to pay for depositing money in a bank. The policy is aimed at discouraging Nigerians from depositing their money in banks,” the group added.
HURIDE asked the Senate to also join hands with the House of Representatives and the oppressed citizens of Nigeria to compel the CBN from implementing what it termed the obnoxious, ill timed and recycling policy.
The group asked the Federal Government not to further impoverish the already cashed strapped Nigerians “ due to their economic policy because paying the money amounted to tripple taxation which negates the principles of tax payment inline with our extant laws.
" Our economy is in a state of paralysis. People are dying of poverty and hunger. Federal Government should stop further impoverishment of Nigerians with this unpopular cashless policy. There is no conducive environment for economic development to thrive under this Government. There is no power, roads, employment opportunities for young people and they are still taxing Nigerians.
''How do they want the economy to grow with this type of hashed negative policy? We equally condemned the decision of Federal Executive Council to increase Value Added Tax (VAT) to 7.2 percent instead of reducing same. Apart from its illegality since FEC has no powers to impose tax, further imposition of taxes and levies on the citizens of this country' was unacceptable at this time, when the purchasing power of many Nigerians have drastically gone down,Dede Uzor fumed
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