Residents of Enugu, on Saturday, started rejecting the old naira notes for transactions.
Many residents who are still holding the old naira notes are finding it difficult to spend them.
Mr George Nweze, a resident of Awkunanaw in Enugu South Local Government Area (LGA), said that he observed the situation when he gave a bus driver old N500 which he rejected.
“I was surprised that the driver rejected the old note because I thought he could easily use it to buy fuel. He flatly rejected it,” Nweze said.
A petty trader, Mrs Marta Chukwu, also said that she went to buy provision with old naira notes, totalling N25,000, but this was rejected by her regular customer.
Chukwu said her customer declined to collect the notes from her, insisting that he stopped collecting old notes since Friday.
“What saved me was that the person who sells recharge cards mercifully collected the notes from me, if not, I would have lost N25,000 just like that,” she said.
Even tricycle operators now ask intending passengers if they have new notes before boarding.
Mr John Nwabueze, a civil servant, said he paid old notes to a taxi driver while going to work on Friday but while coming back in the evening, things changed.
“The rejection actually started (yesterday) evening because I paid with old notes in the morning while going to work.
“In the evening when I boarded a bus, the driver said anyone with old notes should come down,” he said.
Speaking, a tricycle operator, Mr Ejike Ogbodo, said the problem started when an NNPC mega station around town started refusing old notes, insisting on new notes or transfer.
“We queued to buy fuel yesterday at the NNPC mega station and they refused to collect old notes from us; so, we decided not to be collecting old notes again,” Ogbodo said.
A resident, Mrs Maryline Ugwu, also claimed that her bank refused to collect old notes from her and she became confused.
A member of staff of one of the commercial banks in the city, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said it was possible that the bank refused to collect old notes.
“It is possible because we have not received any official directive from the CBN on the next line of action,” he said.
However, at Mayor market, Agbani road, some market women still collected old notes as a last resort.
A vegetable seller, Mrs Anthonia Ede, said she had no option than to collect anything that comes her way.
“I collect anyone I see,” she said.
Lawrence Onwe, a lawyer, said Nigerians deserved to know from the government the actual position of the naira swap to avoid the confusion, chaos, and panic the development has generated since the deadline elapsed on Friday.
“People are confused; there was a sudden stop by traders, filling stations, transporters, and even most of the corporate business entities in the metropolis.
“I was at the filling station yesterday to fill my car, but when I offered the petrol pump attendant an old naira currency of N1,000 bill, she flatly rejected it, saying that they were instructed not to accept old naira notes again.
“There is an urgent need for the Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Information, Ministry of Finance, or the CBN, to address the nation to stem the panic,” he said.
The Council of State had advised the CBN to allow the new and old naira notes to co-circulate to ease the pains and sufferings of Nigerians.
