Naira notes, traders, business owners and transporters are still adamant on accepting the old N500 and N1,000 notes for transactions.
A trader in the popular Eke Awka Market, Johnson Chukwudi, told SaharaReporters that “The problem is not accepting the old notes, but the fact that banks are not accepting it back except you go through the process of generating a code. And I don’t have that time. So, for now, I’m not accepting it until the banks start accepting it properly.”
Similarly, two meat sellers in the same market, Mrs Nkechi Obi and Ikenna Eze, said that they didn’t accept the old Naira notes because “they (the government) are not serious yet.”
“How can they ask us to accept the old money and banks can easily issue the old notes to us but when we want to deposit it, we have to leave our business, go to a cyber cafe or whatever they call it, to get a code before going back to our banks and then struggle to deposit it?
“If the government is not ready to bring out the old money, they should just leave it. We have been stressed too much.”
Meanwhile, there are some traders and transporters who accept the old Naira notes.
A commercial bus driver who simply identified himself as James told SaharaReporters that “The government said we should start using the old notes till the end of this year, so, that is why I’m accepting it.
“I know that many people are not accepting it yet and I heard that banks ask people to bring one CBN code or something like that but the ones I have accepted today, I used it to buy fuel. I know it is a matter of time and everything will settle.”
SaharaReporters gathered that on Tuesday morning, leaders of Eke Awka Market and representatives from the state government went round the market and announced that everyone in the market must accept the old Naira notes.
Recall that PurpleWorld had earlier reported that the state Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, had threatened to shut down any commercial bank or business outlet who refuses to accept the old N500 and N1,000 notes in the state.
Credit: SaharaReporters