Residents lament as petrol stations reject old naira notes in Ekiti

The filling stations and drivers in Ekiti have rejected the old naira notes despite the Supreme Court ruling suspending the February 10 deadline issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Newsflash Nigeria reports that the Supreme Court had last Wednesday temporarily halted the move by the Federal Government and the Central Bank of Nigeria to ban the use of the old naira notes with effect from February 10, 2023.

The order from the appellate court followed the unfortunate riots in several parts of the country emanating from the non-availability of the newly redesigned Naira notes.

Recall that the CBN had fixed January 31st as the deadline for the exit of the old Naira notes of N200, N500, and N1,000 but the apex bank later bowed to pressure and extended the swapping period to February 10.

Some state governors elected under the platform of the All Progressives Congress APC who alleged that the CBN policy was targeted against the party’s presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu dragged the Federal Government to court.

The governments of Kogi, Kaduna, and Zamfara States last week, filed a lawsuit before the Supreme Court, seeking a restraining order to stop the FG from executing the February 10 deadline.

The ruling last Wednesday on the matter, the Supreme Court in a seven-member panel led by Justice John Okoro halted the move by FG and the CBN to end the circulation of old Naira notes across the country.

The matter was, however, adjourned to February 15, 2023, for a hearing of the substantive suit.

However, the extension is yet to make any difference as some customers at the Petrol stations in Ekiti on Sunday were stunned following the rejection of old Naira notes by the station attendants.

The attendants reportedly said that the rejection was due to the February 10, 2023 deadline set by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), to swap old N200, N500, and N1,000 notes for new ones.

Some attendants said all commercial banks in Ekiti are closed down since last Thursday, and there are no banks to deposit the old naira notes.

Though the customers were advised by the management to make use of the Point of Sale (POS) service made available at the station, many of them (customers) said they don’t have money in their accounts.

Residents of Ekiti have urged the federal government to, as a matter of urgency, address the nation in a nationwide national broadcast on the suspension/extension of the deadline for the old naira note swap.

The residents who spoke to Newsflash Nigeria in separate interviews on Sunday in Ado Ekiti said that the appeal became imperative due to the rejection of the old naira notes by traders and petrol stations across the state.

The residents who expressed worry about the development noted that the refusal by the business community in Ekiti amounted to a contravention of the recent Supreme Court ruling suspending the Feb. 10 deadline issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Barrister Femi Adeyemi said that Nigerians deserved to know from the government the true position of the naira swap to avoid the confusion, chaos, and panic the development has generated.

“People are confused; there was a sudden stop by traders, filling stations transporters, and even most of the corporate business entities in the metropolis.

“I was at the filling station yesterday to fill my car but when I offered the petrol pump attendant an old naira currency of N1,000 bill, she flatly rejected it, saying that they were instructed not to accept old naira notes again.

“All my explanation that FG has extended the deadline till Feb. 15 could not hold; in the end, I had to pay through the Point on Sale (POS) payment machine.

“There is an urgent need for the Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Information, Ministry of Finance, or the CBN to address the nation to stem the panic,” he said.

Mr. Adeyemi Gboyega, a civil servant, said that he almost entered into a physical brawl with the commercial motorcyclist (Okada rider) who insisted on being paid with a new naira note.

“I hadn’t any new naira notes on me and the man refused a mobile transfer and I was held hostage by the cyclist until a good Samaritan intervened and bailed me out.

“I think the confusion arising from the rejection of the old notes should have been averted if the public were properly informed by relevant government agencies.

“The rejection stemmed from apparent ignorance and what is more worrisome is that the filling stations and big business organisations started rejecting the old money yesterday,” Gboyega said.

Mrs. Blessing a foodstuff dealer at the Ikere Ekiti, said that she stopped collecting the old naira because ‘Okada ’ refused to collect it.

“They said that the old naira ceased to be legal tender on Feb. 10 and I don’t want to lose since I won’t be able to buy with the money after collecting, so, I am rejecting it from my customers.

“Yes, they said that Supreme Court suspended the deadline, but we know that the federal government hardly obeys a court order that doesn’t favour it; so, If I hear that government has publicly said we should go ahead and collect, I will do that,” Blessing said.

She lamented that the business and other commercial activities in the town had been brought to a standstill due to a lack of new naira notes in circulation.

“Government should make the new notes available to Nigerians to end the agony and sufferings of the ordinary people of this country,” she added.

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