State governments and police commands have begun clamping down on traders and supermarkets accused of rejecting old naira notes. Findings reported on Sunday indicated that authorities in Kano, Sokoto, Katsina, Bayelsa, Zamfara and Kwara states issued directives to security agencies to deal with anyone who turned down the old N1,000, N500 and N200 notes. This development follows the confusion caused by the Central Bank of Nigeria’s failure to issue clear guidance to commercial banks on whether to extend the February 10 deadline for the currency swap, after last Wednesday’s Supreme Court ruling restrained the federal government from enforcing the time limit previously set by the apex bank. The Catholic Bishops have described the CBN policy as disastrous, stressing that it has turned many Nigerians into beggars.
In Kano, Governor Dr Abdullahi Ganduje directed the acting chairman of the Kano State Consumer Protection Council, Dr Baffa Dan’agundi, to shut down Wellcare supermarket for rejecting the old notes, in violation of the state’s directive that the currency remains legal tender. The council chairman announced the closure and warned that legal action would be taken against Wellcare Alliance Limited, the owners of the supermarket. He cautioned other businesses that the state had not banned the use of old notes and that any shop owner caught rejecting them would be dealt with decisively under the law. In response, Wellcare Alliance Limited sent an apology letter to Ganduje, pleading for the immediate reopening of the supermarket. The letter explained that, following the federal government’s policy on the new notes, the company had mistakenly instructed staff to accept only the new notes from February 10, 2023. After discovering that banks were refusing to receive old notes on their behalf, the company apologized for the inconvenience and pledged to accept old notes as legal tender until the state issues a different directive.
Katsina’s government similarly warned banks and traders not to reject old notes until the Supreme Court delivers a final verdict. In a statement issued by Commissioner for Information, Culture and Home Affairs Abdulkarim Sirika, the state noted that banks and traders were refusing old notes, causing severe hardship for residents. The governor directed that old notes continue to be accepted until February 15, 2023, pending the court’s decision. Residents, however, still face difficulties: many ATMs did not dispense the new notes over the weekend, and the few operating point‑of‑sale machines charged commissions of N150 to N300 per N1,000 withdrawal.
In Sokoto, the state police command pledged to act against anyone rejecting old notes. Public Relations Officer Sanusi Abubakar said the force had not yet received complaints but urged residents to report any violations. He assured that the police would intervene if reports were made. In Kwara, Police Public Relations Officer Ajayi Okasanmi confirmed a government directive to arrest anyone buying or selling naira notes, though no arrests had yet been made. He advised the public to comply with the directive on both old and new notes to avoid legal trouble. To mitigate residents’ difficulties, the Kwara government announced palliatives, including cash transfers to widows, pensioners, transporters, marketers, smallholder farmers and other vulnerable groups, to be coordinated by the Kwara State Social Investment Programme (KWASSIP). The governor also ordered the deployment of free buses on specific routes used by students and staff of tertiary institutions in the capital, where fuel scarcity has been most acute.
Bayelsa’s police command increased security around banks and ATMs, warning against unlawful assembly and violence linked to the new‑note crisis. Spokesperson Asinim Butswat said Divisional Police Officers and Tactical Commanders were tasked with monitoring these sites to prevent breaches of peace. He urged the public to remain calm and continue lawful activities, noting that residents should still accept old notes as they remain legal tender. The Zamfara State Anti‑Thuggery and Criminal Offences Committee also vowed to arrest anyone refusing the old notes. Committee chairman Alhaji Bello Bakyasuwa, monitoring filling stations and business centres in Gusau, affirmed that the old currency remains legal tender per Governor Bello Matawalle’s directive and warned that non‑compliance would result in immediate arrest. Motorists who were initially denied fuel for using old notes reported that the committee intervened, ensuring attendants accepted the old currency.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria condemned the CBN’s cash‑swap policy as a disaster. In its 2023 First Plenary Assembly, held at the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria Resource Centre in Abuja, President of the CBCN and Archbishop of Owerri, Most Rev. Lucius Ugorji, called on politicians to be decent, peaceful and honest, and to focus on manifestos rather than mud‑slinging or violence. He highlighted the worsening national economy, the declining value of the naira, soaring commodity prices, chronic fuel scarcity, and the cash crunch caused by the CBN’s policy. Ugorji warned that many Nigerians are now impoverished, turning to crime or begging, while the growing debt burden threatens future generations. He also noted the persistent insecurity from Boko Haram, Fulani herdsmen, bandits and other armed groups, which has resulted in hundreds of deaths, widespread displacement and attacks on churches. Despite the bleak outlook, he urged Nigerians to vote wisely in the upcoming election, seeing the collective suffering as a catalyst for responsible civic participation.
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