Valentine’s Day: Nigerians, Business Owners Lament As Naira Scarcity Persists

Valentine celebration is a day, set aside for couples and loved ones to express their love. Valentine’s Day, also called St. Valentine’s Day, holiday is celebrated every February 14. 

Nigerians who spoke to me, as regards the celebration revealed that the inability for them to get cash, could mar the celebrations.

A business man in Lagos, Mr Ifeanyi Nkem said, he has always looked forward to Valentine’s celebration, as it is the time he likes to spoil his wife.

“I am not a romantic man, but I like to make my wife happy on valentine’s day. I would take her shopping and visit one of the best hotels in Lagos. 

“I didn’t even know that Valentine is close. My problem is bigger than Valentine right now, after all, it is only those who have money that can celebrate valentine,” he stated.

Nkem, who is a motor spare parts dealer, revealed that since the issue of the Naira swap came up, he has not been able to sell his products. “No sales, due to scarcity of Naira notes. Even when my customers want to do transfer, it is not going. I don’t even have enough money to feed my family properly. We are just managing this period, pending when the Naira swap issue would be resolved, and I am glad for the wife I married. She won’t mind if we don’t celebrate it this year,” he averred.

A final year student at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Adeniyi Abass, told me that he will be celebrating this year’s valentine simply watching Netflix with his partner. “I will not because of no cash, not shower my baby the love she deserves. Cash or no cash we will still celebrate it, but in low-key,” Abass noted.

A few hours to Valentine’s Day, gift shop owners were lamenting the low sales. In their opinion, this is one of the celebrations they looked forward to, due to massive sales, but the issue of no cash and inability to transfer is making Valentine’s Day look like any other day.

A gift shop owner at Opebi, Mrs Grace Anderson disclosed, that less than 10 persons walked into her shops to buy gifts, adding, “I stocked up my shop with the latest valentine gifts, but the sales is nothing to talk about.

“Even those who still celebrate Valentine with their loved ones could not, because some bank transfers are not going. I cannot give out my goods without seeing alert.”

She, however called on the government to tackle the issue of Naira notes scarcity. “Business is bad this period, simply because I am no longer collecting the old Naira notes. I am using this medium to appeal to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to pump in more cash into the system,” she appealed.