Ben Ezechime, Enugu
Residents of Enugu Saturday were said to be rejecting the old naira notes as means of transactions even as the Supreme Court had directed the Federal Government and its agents to maintain the status quo on the deadline for old naira notes.
Ikengaonline Enugu correspondent reports that many residents who are still holding on to the old naira notes are finding it difficult to dispense with them.
Mr Chinedu Attah, a resident of Agbani road, said that he observed the situation when he gave a bus driver an old N500 note which he rejected.
“I was surprised for the driver to reject the old note because I thought he could easily use it to buy fuel but he flatly rejected it,” Nweze said.
A petty trader, Mrs Agnes Chukwu, also said that she went to buy provision business with old naira notes totalling N25,000 which was rejected by her regular customer.
Chukwu said her customer declined to collect the notes from her insisting that he had since on Friday stopped collecting old notes.
“What saved me was that the person who sells recharge cards mercifully collected the notes from me, if not, I would have lost N25,000 just like that,” she said.
It was observed that even tricycle operators now asked intending passengers if they have new notes before boarding.
Mr John Onyia, a civil servant said he paid old notes to a taxi driver while going to work on Friday but while coming back in the evening things changed.
“The rejection actually started yesterday evening because I paid with old notes in the morning while going to work.
“But in the evening when I boarded a bus the driver said anyone with old notes should come down,” he said.
Speaking to Ikengaonline a tricycle operator, Mr Joe Anike, said the problem started when an NNPC mega station around town started refusing old notes insisting on new notes or transfer.
“We queued to buy fuel yesterday at the NNPC mega station and they refused to collect old notes from us; so, we decided not to be collecting old notes again,” Ogbodo said.
A resident, Mrs Marua Ugwueze, also claimed that her bank refused to collect old notes from her and she became confused.
A member of staff of one of the commercial banks in the city who spoke on the condition of anonymity said it was possible that the bank refused to collect old notes.
“It is possible because we have not received any official directive from the CBN on the next line of action,” he said.
However, at Mayor Market Agbani road, some market women were still collecting the money as a last resort.
A vegetable seller, Mrs Edith Ede, said she had no option than to collect anything that comes her way.
“I collect anyone I see,” she said.
