Naira scarcity: Nigerians take out their frustrations on their banks, others [Videos]

Image: Talk of Naija

The naira scarcity that hits the nation since the January 31 deadline, which was extended by 10 days by CBN, has led the nation into more hardship. A lot has happened since the scarcity. Naira is now selling at N100 to N1,000 and as high as N1,000 to get N10,000.

Within the week, different scenarios played out in the banking halls or premises of commercial banks. 

Within the week, a woman who tried in vain to withdraw money from the bank but could not because of the scarcity of Naira notes got frustrated and stripped naked in the Access Bank branch somewhere in Lagos.

She cried that her children could go to school the previous day as she could not get money to give them. The aggrieved woman spoke in Yoruba, demanding that the bank return all her money and close her account as it is no longer of any use to her if she cannot get her money from the bank as and when she needs it.

“Close my account; I don’tdon’t want it again. Return my money. My children didn’tdidn’t go to school yesterday. They will go today,” she lamented.

The account that posted the video, @Abiola_Trends, noted that the incident occurred on Wednesday.

Woman stripped naked in the Banking hall today in Lagos

Osas Rivers State Fidelity GTbank No Cash #kudabank Asiwaju Buhari and APC Mu-Mu pic.twitter.com/ZT9GBtNnGG

— AbiolaTrends (@Abiola_Trends) February 1, 2023

In another news, just on Thursday, two men turned the banking hall of Fidelity Bank into a fighting arena. They started out exchanging blows before switching to using the barrier poles as weapons against each other. The bank staff and customers kept their distance while the exchange went on before stepping in to separate the fight.

Also, on Thursday, a man was said to have slumped and died at a bank while waiting to withdraw new Naira notes. The incident was said to have happened at a bank in Agbor, Delta State.

The news was shared on Facebook by a user called Omole Mike, who revealed that the incident had occurred in his presence. Omole Mike shared a photo of the customer who was seen sprawled on the floor of the bank.

Image: Torizone

The user wrote;

“Just now, right in my presence. at about 1:30pm. Somebody collapsed and died in First bank of Nigeria Agbor Branch. The Date is on 02-02-2023. May his Soul Rest in Peace. It is well.”

In another sensored video man who stripped completely naked at an unknown First Bank branch was weeping bitterly for his money. He was crying bitterly and complaining. In the video as he was weeping, two voices believed to be voices of bankers could be heard discussing as the man continued sobbing.

The video goes:

"Make una give me my money let me go....give me my money..."

A voice in the background asked, "He's not listening to you?" 

The response was, "He's not listening"

The first voice now said, "Oga calm down first now"

The man continued:

"Give me my money let me go, give me my money let me go, give me my money...how many years with first bank? How many years? ........more than twenty something years, more than twenty something years...."

N520,000 you are telling me story, I bring cash and carry it come here.... I didn't do transfer, I bring cash come here.... What are you telling me?"

However, the story is different in Oyo State as miscreants took to the street and took out their frustrations on banks, filling stations, and police stations. They were said to have vandalized a bank yesterday over naira scarcity. 

A video trending online shows angry miscreants vandalising a bank due to the hardship brought by the new naira notes.

Oyo State has been one of the trending conversations on the popular microblogging platform Twitter as youths were armed with several placards on Friday morning to register their grievances.

In Ibadan, protests rocked some places like Iwo Road and Agodi; some also destroyed some offices at the Oyo State Secretariat in the Agodi area of Ibadan.

In the viral video, the youths were seen throwing stones, and woods at the bank’s building.

A tweep wrote,” This is wema bank in Ibadan and it’sit’s currently being vandal!zed by angry citizens who can’tcan’t get their own money from the bank… it seems the government derives pleasure from the pa!n and suffer!ng of the citizens.”

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A post shared by Intel Region (@intelregion)

Despite claims by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) that it has released sufficient new Naira notes to commercial banks across the country, commercial banks have insisted that they do not have adequate new notes to issue to their customers; hence, many banks across the country have completely stopped issuing money to their customer with a few of them issuing a maximum of N10,000 or N5,000.

Although the House of Representatives on Tuesday reached an agreement with the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, that when the old Naira notes cease to be legal tender on February 10, 2023, commercial banks can still collect them from customers and return to the apex bank, the experience has been frustrating for the majority of Nigerians as some traders and business owners no longer accept the old notes while scarcity of the new notes gets worse.

As of Wednesday, many Point of Sale (POS) operators in Awka, the Anambra State capital and many parts of Delta State, including Isele-uku in Aniocha North Local Government Area, said they had no money to do their business, while some of them who had access to some cash charged N1,000 for customers withdrawing N10,000.

The House of Representatives has ordered the CBN to submit a weekly report on the amount of money it releases to commercial banks.

Sources: saharareporters.com, thestreetjournal.org, torizone.com, intelregion.com

#New Naira Notes

#Ibadan

#Bank

#CBN