Despite the Central bank of Nigeria (CBN) order, directing commercial banks to begin the dispensing of the new naira notes to customers over the counter, Nigerians are still groan under severe hardship in their to get the new currency as few banks pay pantry sum of the currency.
The CBN Governor, Goodwin Emefiele in issuing the directives to commercial banks, declared that there are enough printed new naira notes that would go round
Investigation by The New Diplomat, showed that over ninety percent of bank customers are yet to get the new currency even as our findings revealed that the new notes are being auctioned by unknown vendors at party venues in major cities as Lagos and Abuja.
A bank customer in Lagos, Kingsley Onwuka said only one thousand naira denomination of the new note was included in the ten thousand naira cash withdrawal he made last weekend.
But a Lagos based PoS operator, Made Lilian Okoro who expressed fear that the cashless policy would force most of her colleagues to close shop, was not lucky as she disclosed that most of her clients are yearning to have a feel of the new currency but she had none to dispense to them.
“Since the CBN announcement that the new currency is already in circulation, I’m yet to be paid by it. Most of my customers complain that even ATMs still dispense the old naira notes, ” she said
An Abuja based civil servant who would not want his name in print, expressed disappointment when the ATM machine owned by one the major banks dispensed the old naira notes three days after the CBN announcement.
But a petty trader who gave her names as Titilayo Abati could not with hold her frustrations as she claimed that the new naira notes are currently in circulation mainly for the rich.
Her words: “I have made several attempts to get the new naira notes, all to no avail. But one easily find the new naira notes being sprayed by “big men” in party venues while poor Nigerians who need it for transactions are left stranded,” she said.
A bank officer at the counter, names withheld, disclosed that the quantity of new naira notes alloted to most banks were barely enough for their teeming customers. “If the banks have the new currency, certainly, they will dispense it or would they eat the money, let Nigeria be my brother,” he stated with a tone of lamentation
Available reports have shown that the new naira notes are poorly dispensed by the commercial banks . Conversely, the CBN would have it’s part of the story. It is obvious that both parties now trade blame
