Elder Statesman and Dean of Borno Elders Forum, Khalifa Dikwa has claimed that President Bola Tinubu was blackmailed into approving the cybersecurity levy policy initiated by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Dikwa stated this during an appearance on Channels Television on Wednesday.
According to him, the ‘unseen forces’ rely on intimidation to get their bidding done.
Speaking further, he insisted that it was the wrong time to impose the levy.
Dikwa, however, stated that he was not surprised at the development, adding that the country was being controlled by external forces.
He said, “These forces can’t be seen and rely on intimidation to get their bidding done while saying the Tinubu administration is blackmailed into making these policies.
“It is the wrong time to impose the cybersecurity levy. I’m not surprised by the directive because Nigeria is seemingly controlled remotely by external forces.”
‘Nigerians Need To Adjust, This Is Basis Of Life’ – Bwala Defends Tinubu Over Cybersecurity Levy
Meanwhile, former spokesman for the defunct Atiku-Okowa Presidential Campaign Council, Daniel Bwala, has asserted that Nigerians need to adjust to the current economic realities in the country.
Naija News reports that Bwala stated this on Wednesday while fielding questions on Channels Television programme regarding the new cybersecurity levy directive issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other policies of the current administration of Bola Tinubu.
Recall that CBN had issued a new directive to all financial institutions, including commercial, merchant, non-interest banks, payment service banks, and mobile money operators, mandating the implementation of a 0.5% cybersecurity levy on all electronic transactions.
Bwala claims that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is making necessary hard decisions, and he is not insensitive to the plight of Nigerians.
According to him, there must be a period of inconvenience, adding that Nigerians are required to adjust because they will not remain in a hardship situation forever,
He said: “It depends on who is assessing, what is the motive behind the assessment. Just like we would have water in a bottle, someone says it is half full, and another says it is half empty. But what we should be generally looking at are the numbers. Also looking at the context and perspective from which we look at things.
“Nobody, I think, is in doubt about the fact that when the President took that hard decision, which is a necessary decision, it is not a convenient decision, that there must be a temporary hardship; there must be a period like period of childbirth; there must be a period of inconveniences; there must be a period of personal sacrifices. When you are confronted with a period like that, what is required of you is adjustment, because they say trouble doesn’t always last. You will not be in that situation forever. But you will need to adjust. This is the basis of life.
“I don’t think the President is denying the fact that this is a period in the lives of Nigerian people where things are hard. He has said it over and over again.”