ABEOKUTA – Banks in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital was a beehive of activities on Friday as customers in their hundreds stormed the virtually all financial institutions to beat the January 31, 2023 deadline for the return of old notes by the Central Bank of Nigeria.
THE ENCOUNTER NEWS also observed that long queues of bank customers besieged Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) of banks in Abeokuta to collect the new naira notes.
Our reporter who monitored banks activities in the Gateway city on Friday, reports that many customers were seen on queues trying to collect the new notes from the machines, but were frustrated with some banks ATM not dispensing, while others dispensing old notes.
At Access Bank Plc located at the Central Business District, Oke-Ilewo, few customers were seen at the banking hall depositing old naira notes while the ATM spot was filled with customers withdrawing old notes.
At GTBank around the popular Iwe-Irohin house, there were long queue of customers at the ATM machines collecting the new notes.
Mr. Tunji Ajuwon a customer, said that although there were long queues in banks, citizens should endure to enable the government achieve their good aim.
On the extension of the deadline for the usage of the old notes, he said “we do not want any extension’’.
“The timeline for the old notes is only three days from now. We do not have to bother about that because we are suffering fuel crisis, inflation and they do not have timeline but this one has a timeline.
“We know that after Jan. 31, we will have all the currencies we need.
“We have to support the CBN and Mr President because without this, the people who have hoarded money for election and other purposes will still bring the monies into circulation and that is what the CBN is fighting against.
“We have to make sacrifices so that we can get what we want. We do not want CBN to extend the deadline.
“If you extend it, you are giving room for the money hoarders to bring the monies back into circulation and the intention of the government would have been defeated,’’ he said.
Mr. Raji Rasheed a customer at First Bank, Sapon, said the bank’s ATM dispensed N20, 000 of the new notes to him.
Rasheed who said he moved from one bank ATM to the other in search of the new notes, urged other banks to join in making the collection easier for customers.
Another customer at Access Bank Sapon, Miss Khadijat AbdulAzeez, said the queues were frustrating and discouraging.
“The CBN and banks should make the new notes available for the people.
“Why must people go through stress at every policy they want to implement? People are willing to utilize the new money but it should be made available with ease,’’ she said.
Mr. Gafar Obateru, a customer at Wema Bank Plc, Lafenwa said she had stood on the queue for about an hour without collecting the notes.
She appealed to the CBN to disburse enough notes to the banks to reduce the stress faced by the masses.
A bank official, who preferred anonymity, said they were short of the new notes, adding that the bank was dispensing according to what they received from the CBN.
