Protests have broken out in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State, in response to the hardship occasioned by petrol scarcity and lack of access to the redesigned naira notes.
Pockets of crowds gathered at different corners of the Sapon area on Tuesday, singing songs of displeasure as they besieged the Sapon branch of Access Bank and First Bank to obtain the scarce new notes.
Witnesses say the gatherings were largely peaceful until the arrival of police officers who shot a protester dead and caused injuries to several others.
“It was a protest although it did not start as one. When we gathered and the bank said they are not attending to anyone, people stood outside the premises and were complaining,” a witness who pleaded anonymity said.
“As the crowds increased people began to sing songs and the word spread that people are protesting. Before we knew it police came and were shooting sporadically,” the witness further said.
It was gathered that the Access Bank building has now been set on fire by protesting youths in response to the police provocation.
Videos seen also show that the premises of the First Bank branch in the area has been vandalised.
Following the protests that rocked Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, over cash crunch, on Tuesday, the state governor, Dapo Abiodun, has called on the protesters to stop their protests and allow the outcome of his engagement with the Bankers Forum and the Central Bank to yield fruits.
Gov. Abiodun who made this known during the Statutory meeting of the council of Obas, held at the Oba’s complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, noted that the Central Bank of Nigeria is doing its best to arrest the situation.
The governor said the matter was being discussed at the highest level with both President Muhammadu Buhari and the CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, in the quest to resolve the crisis.
The governor recalled that All Progressives Congress governors had met with President Muhammadu Buhari, pleading that the old naira notes should be allowed to run as legal tender along with the redesigned currency, pending the resolution of the cash crunch crisis.
While calling for calm, the governor said the voices of the protesters had been heard loud and clear and that the government is responding.
“I call on our youths to discontinue the street protests and constructively engage government in finding solutions.
“It has become necessary to formally appeal to all concerned, having heard from many concerned Nigerians and having conducted series of meetings, along with my brother governors, with President Muhammadu Buhari and the Governor of Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele and security chiefs on the challenges, sufferings and pains being experienced over this cash scarcity and cash swap occasioned by the redesigning of our currency.
“I have also personally had to engage the controller of the Central Bank of Nigeria in Abeokuta and other bank managers to seek relief on the amounts that citizens can withdraw in exchange for deposits made in commercial banks and extracted a commitment that people would have access to their deposited funds without hitches, as CBN will supply adequately to the commercial banks.
“I understand the frustration, disappointments of our citizens queuing at Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), waiting to cash money for hours or entering banking halls only to be turned back or given so little that is not enough to meet their immediate needs”, the governor said.
He added that he does not have a doubt that the intention of this policy was not to unleash hardship and suffering on our teeming populace.
“We will hear from the President as to what steps are being taken to bring succour and relief to Nigerians. My plea to our monarchs being the closest to the grassroots is to ensure the maintenance of peace in their domains with the support of their subjects.
“We will not be where we are in terms of socio-economic development in an atmosphere of insecurity; so we owe a lot to you and my charge to you this afternoon is that you please help us manage this situation.
“Our people will listen to you, they will trust and believe you, please help us to intervene. Ogun State has always had a record of managing our problems in a very different way. When we had #EndSARS, we remained the most peaceful state across the country and I do not have a doubt that in that same manner that we managed ourselves during #EndSARS, we will also do so during this period.
Governor Abiodun further said it is disheartening to see bank buildings being vandalised and people resorting to violence to register their displeasure.
“We shouldn’t allow our state to descend to that level. We are a peaceful and peace-loving people and the safest state in the country. I want to use this medium to plead with our youths that when there is a problem, the solution is not to hit the streets and to start protest marches; we can not solve a problem with another problem.
“Civil disobedience will rather exacerbate the anguish in the land. Let us stay away from avoidable loss of lives and properties. Please, let us embrace peace. We are a very peaceful state; we are very orderly and we have spent a lot of time and energy to invest in the peace and security of our people. We must eschew provocation that could lead to a breakdown of law and order.”
In his remarks, the Chairman, Ogun State Council of Obas and the Paramount ruler of Remoland, Oba Babatunde Ajayi while thanking the Governor for looking after the welfare of the traditional institution in the state, noted that the 2021 Obas law is a comprehensive piece of legislation.
He charged monarchs in the state to go back and look at the laws all over again as it is meant to give a lot of guidance in terms of appointment of Obas and Coronet Obas.
However, The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, had said that over a billion naira has been disbursed to Edo State in a span of three days to cushion the hardship faced by customers in accessing redesigned naira notes.
Director, Risk Management, CBN, Abuja, Dr. Blaise Ijebor, disclosed this in Benin City, Tuesday, where he implored citizens to explore alternative means of transactions to ease the demand for cash in the economy.
He said: “We are pushing out money regularly. On Sunday, we gave banks N400 million. That is why they were paying money on Monday. We gave out N200 million on Monday and today we have given out N460 million.
“We are doing everything within our power to improve the situation. We have allowed banks to pay over the counter with the limit of N20,000 payable to each person. We also gave money to microfinance banks to pay over the counter with a maximum of N10,000. The microfinance banks are to concentrate on the rural communities.
“I have been around the metropolis this morning to inspect bank branches and Automated Teller Machines (ATM) and I can tell you the crowds are reducing because we are making payments. We will continue to do everything within our power to improve the situation.”
He noted that the CBN is expecting a shipment of new notes, which will be dispensed through ATMs, adding that by tomorrow, the ATMs that are empty will start working.
“If we are a little bit patient, very soon, the money will be everywhere and there will be no need for these problems.
Explaining the need for bank customers to explore alternative means of transactions, Dr. Ijebor said: “We are working with the Edo State Government for people to be able to make transactions with their residency cards when it is introduced to the economy. It’s a laudable project and we are supporting the state government on that.
“We are encouraging everybody to use alternative means of payments, such as bank apps, ATMs, USSD, POS, among others. For those without a bank account, this is a good opportunity to open one. We have authorized agents to do that for customers.”
He also called on POS operators and others selling the new naira notes to desist from such acts, as actions will be taken against anyone caught engaged in such acts.
On his part, Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Hon. Chris Nehikhare stated that the state government is interested in ensuring the citizens find relief, urging Edo residents to explore alternative payment options.
He added that the state government is building the necessary digital infrastructure to ensure ease of using digital platforms, adding that the state government is laying fiber optics to enhance the internet connectivity across the state.
