The Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, has attacked former President, Goodluck Jonathan, for removing the Arabic Ajami from the N100 note in 2014.


The Muslim group said the action of the former President was a major failure of his administration.


In a statement signed and forwarded to DAILY POST on Tuesday by MURIC Director, Prof Ishaq Akintola, the group said Nigerians consider Jonathan’s N100 note as inferior to other printed earlier.

MURIC called for the withdrawal of Jonathan’s N100 note from circulation and the reinstatement of Arabic Ajami on N200,

The statement said, “The administration of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan officially issued the N100 commemorative centenary banknote on 19th December, 2014. A major feature of that banknote was the removal of Arabic Ajami.

“Nigerians consider Jonathan’s N100 note inferior to others printed earlier. It is of very low quality. It tears easily. It lacks second hand value. It grows soft and fragile with time, thereby making it difficult to handle or fold in people’s pockets or wallets. It has therefore failed as a veritable means of exchange. Placed side by side with the old N100 note which still has the Arabic Ajami inscription and which is still in circulation, Jonathan’s N100 shrinks into oblivion.

In a statement signed and forwarded to DAILY POST on Tuesday by MURIC Director, Prof Ishaq Akintola, the group said Nigerians consider Jonathan’s N100 note as inferior to other printed earlier.

MURIC called for the withdrawal of Jonathan’s N100 note from circulation and the reinstatement of Arabic Ajami on N200,

The statement said, “The administration of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan officially issued the N100 commemorative centenary banknote on 19th December, 2014. A major feature of that banknote was the removal of Arabic Ajami.

“Nigerians consider Jonathan’s N100 note inferior to others printed earlier. It is of very low quality. It tears easily. It lacks second hand value. It grows soft and fragile with time, thereby making it difficult to handle or fold in people’s pockets or wallets. It has therefore failed as a veritable means of exchange. Placed side by side with the old N100 note which still has the Arabic Ajami inscription and which is still in circulation, Jonathan’s N100 shrinks into oblivion.


“The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) is constrained to affirm that Jonathan’s N100 note is a fiscal embarrassment, a huge disappointment and a colossal waste of the nation’s scarce resources. Three and a half years on, Jonathan’s N100 note has qualified for the worst banknote ever printed in Nigeria. It is a national disgrace. This banknote should be withdrawn from circulation.

“It is not too difficult to guess what went wrong. Jonathan was blinded by his anti-Arabic sentiment that he ignored quality control measures. His only concern was to implement the hate agenda of a few anti-Muslim elements who are bent on eliminating all vestiges of Islam from the Nigerian environment.

“It was not the first time this would happen. Arabic inscriptions which have always been on Nigerian currency since independence were unceremoniously removed in 2005 from N5, N10, N20 and N50 denominations during the reign of Olusegun Obasanjo. It must be noted that there has been surreptitious pressure from the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) for the removal of Arabic from the naira.
But Nigerians need to know that this move was calculated to hurt the Muslim population and may end up as a disservice to the nation. The average Northerner cannot read any other script except in Arabic Ajami and anyone who wants to communicate with him effectively must use the Ajami, not even writings in Hausa language can help in this matter. Millions of Northerners have therefore been marginalized by removing the Arabic Ajami from Jonathan’s poor quality N100 note and Obasanjo’s N5, N10, N20 and N50 denominations.


http://dailypost.ng/2018/04/17/muslim-group-seeks-withdrawal-n100-note-charges-jonathan-removing-arabic-ajami/