Idahosa Moses – Benin City
Residents in Benin City, Edo State, on Monday, expressed sadness over the rejection of the old naira notes by filing station owners and some other business centres in the state.
At a popular filing station at Aduwawa axis, a woman who identified herself as Mrs. Etoka had a confrontation with a fuel attendant at the filling station who refused to collect the old naira note from her after filling her keg with fuel.
Speaking with Our Correspondent, Mrs. Etoka said she bought fuel of N1,170 and gave the fuel attendant N2000, one new note and the other, old, with the hope of getting her change, but surprisingly to her, the fuel attendant rejected the old naira note from her.
“I just came in here to fill my keg, and they said it is N230 per litre. I filled it.
“I gave them N1000 new naira note, they said it is N1,170 for the filling.
“So, I said I don’t have N170, but I have another N1000 old naira note which I gave to them, but to my greatest surprise, they were refusing it, and they were disposing of old naira notes.
“Why can’t they accept the old naira notes? This I can’t take, it is uncalled for. I want the government to look into it. They should come and rectify it.
” It is embarrassing to me, and I don’t like it. This is an injustice because the masses are suffering. We are angry”, Etoka lamented.
Also expressing her displeasure, Mrs. Adesuwa Amadasun, said the old and new naira notes should be allowed to go side-by-side since the new notes are yet to be circulated.
“I don’t know what is happening in our country. We came to buy fuel, and we were surprised that they rejected the old naira notes except the new ones.
” And they are still giving out the old naira notes to people, but they are not collecting them from us.
“What can we do? And you know there is no money in circulation and we have to make use of the old naira notes, and the new naira notes side-by-side.
“I want the government to come and do something about it,” Amadasun said.
On the part of the fuel attendant, who seeks anonymity, she said their manager left them with a stern warning not to receive old naira notes from any customers.
Another respondent who preferred anonymity said he wanted to pay for books for his children at their school, but the bookseller bluntly told him that she doesn’t accept old naira notes anymore.
