A large crowd yesterday besieged the Lagos office of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in an attempt to deposit their old N500 and N1000 banknotes in line with the directive of the apex bank.
This follows the nationwide broadcast by President Muhamadu Buhari who affirmed that the old N500 and N1,000 notes can only be deposited with the apex bank while the N200 note remains legal tender till April 10, 2023.
The CBN had directed Nigerians in possession of the old notes to, after the February 10 2023 deadline, deposit their old notes at the nearest CBN branch to them. To do this, customers are expected to fill a form which is available on the website of the CBN and generate a code.
They are expected to fill in their Bank Verification Number (BVN), bank account details, phone numbers and other personal details as well as the denomination and amount of cash they want to deposit.
The filled form along with the generated code and the cash to be deposited are then to be taken to the nearest CBN office. The exercise according to the apex bank is to run from Wednesday, February 15 to Friday, February 17, 2023.
As at yesterday afternoon, over 1000 Nigerians gathered at Customs Street in Marina, Lagos where the Lagos office of the CBN is located, to deposit their old notes. A member of staff of the CBN confirmed that those who had filled the online forms and have generated the codes were being attended to.
“However, majority of those that are here today (Friday) did not fill the form and don’t have any generated code, so they cannot be attended to,” he said.
He, however, could not confirm if those who had already generated the codes could still deposit their old notes beyond the Friday 17, 2023 deadline.
ASSBIFI Orders Banks’ Staff To Stay At Home
The Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI) has ordered banks’ staff to stay off duties, following series of attacks of banking staff and bank facilities.
In a notice sent to all unionised banks, ASSBIFI president, Comrade Olusoji Oluwole, cited the continued attacks on workers and banks’ facilities across the country as reason for his call.
This is coming barely 24 hours after issue threat the association threatened that bank workers under the union to stay off duties.
Recall that ASSBIFI on Thursday this week warned against transferred aggression and attacks on bank workers.
In his press briefing on Thursday, Olusoji had said: “we value the lives of our members and colleagues and will not put them at any further risk. We have put them on alert and shall instruct them without further warning to immediately stay away from their branches if these attacks on our members and facilities continue until such a time that they can be guaranteed of their personal safety and the security of their workplaces by the relevant authorities.
“We call on the public to desist from threatening or attacking our members, or destroying our properties as they will be only proverbially cutting their noses to spite their faces. We can only give what we have been provided with and nothing more.”
In a memo tagged ‘ANS/R/JA/OP/5018’ sent to all unit president and secretaries of which a copy was sighted by LEADERSHIP, ASSBIFI said: “the National Secretariat has been inundated with reports of threats and attacks on lives and properfies of Members and bank branches, and subsequently has been on the field to monitor and confirm the reports.
“We issued warnings and appeals to Govenment to provide security Measure for the Safety of Lives and Properties of our Members within and around the bank premises, but regrettably the attacks have continued without any form of security for the safety of our Members, and the recent being the attack today, Friday 17th February 2023 on one bank branch at Epe, Lagos State
“We cannot leave the lives and properties of our Members exposed to obvious danger. Consequently, all Members Should Today(yesterday) immediately Stay Away from Work in any State where bank branches are attacked. This is to continue every day until normalcy is restored. Please Note, you will be availed further directives as events develop.”
CBN Denies Asking Banks To Accept Old N500, N1000 Banknotes
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has refuted news report (not LEADERSHIP) quoting a source in the bank as saying that it had ordered commercial banks to start accepting the old N500 and N1000 banknotes.
The bank in a statement yesterday said the report was fake and unauthorised.
CBN spokesman, Osita Nwanisobi, said the apex bank strictly stands by the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari that only allows the old N200 note to circulate with the new one for a period of 60 days.
“The attention of the Central Bank of Nigeria has been drawn to some fake and unauthorised messages quoting the CBN as having authorised the deposit money banks to collect the old N500 and N1,000 banknotes.
“For the avoidance of doubt, and in line with Mr. President’s broadcast of February 16, 2023, the CBN has been directed to ONLY re-issue and recirculate the old N200 banknotes and this is expected to circulate as legal tender for 60 days up to April 10, 2023.
“Members of the public should therefore disregard any message and/or information not formally released by the Central Bank of Nigeria on this subject.
“Media practitioners are advised to please verify any information from the correct sources before publication,” Nwanisobi stated.
Protest Over Naira Scarcity Rock Parts Of Rivers
Protests over the scarcity of naira notes have gradually escalated in parts of Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital and other parts of the state.
This is as angry protesters temporarily blocked the Mbiama axis of the East-West Road in Ahoada-West local government area of the state, thereby making it impossible for vehicles to move on the road.
However, hoodlums took advantage of the protest to harass and rob passengers as well as traders and their customers at the popular Mbiama Market.
LEADERSHIP Weekend gathered that in the state capital, there protests and setting up of burn fires in the Diobu axis of Ikwerre Road, leading to chaos.
Most hit by the protests were Mile Three, Mile Two and Mile One as well as Okija Street and Ikoku Spare Parts Market areas of Port Harcourt.
Hoodlums seems hijacked the protest, looting shops as well as robbing residents, commuters and motorists of their belongings.
LEADERSHIP Weekend gathered that most motorists have abandoned their vehicles along the roads and fled to avoid falling prey to the hoodlums.
Also, in the Old Port Harcourt Township, there were heavy shooting by yet to be identified gunmen along Bundu-Ama, Harbour Road and Creek Road.
The ugly development forced motorists and commuters to scamper for safety while shop owners hurriedly closed their shops to avoid looting by hoodlums.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, Grace Iringe-Koko, said the protests have been brought under control.
Iringe-Koko said: “Tactical teams are on ground; normalcy has been restored. I even went out myself to see situation.”
