“The body should have, long ago, flooded the streets with posters, handbills, stickers, jingles and what have you rather than the fire brigade approach”
More pressure on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as Palace Chiefs of the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III, on Friday, lamented the scarcity of the redesigned naira notes, saying none of them has seen the new bills since their inception.
The chiefs, led by Chief Yaya Pesu, on behalf of Ogiame Atuwatse III who wasn’t available, made the observation while receiving in audience staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) at the palace of the Olu of Warri.
The CBN staff, five of them who have been on a sensitization drive on the redesigned naira notes across markets in the state since Thursday, were led by Deputy Director of Finance, Mr Sunny Daibo.
The Itsekiri chiefs, one after the other, picked issues on the modalities the apex bank has adopted since its conception of the idea to its execution, which they said left much to be desired, adding that they were still being inundated with old naira notes across the counters in commercial banks.
The chiefs lamented the unavailability of the new naira notes in commercial banks as well as point of sales and ATM outlets across Warri and environs, wondering if the January 31 deadline for the circulation of old naira notes would still hold.
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One of the palace chiefs, Chief Brown Mene, who’s the Ogwa-Olusan of Warri Kingdom, chided the CBN for a shoddy job in the conception and execution of the new naira notes policies.
According to him, the apex bank should have embarked on an early sensitization drive even before executing the policies using posters, handbills and other means of communication to reach the people.
He advised the CBN to open channels for people to report to CBN when there’s an issue relating to the circulation of old and new notes, urging the apex bank to sit up, monitor and apply the big stick on the commercial banks frustrating the policies.
“The CBN should have started the sensitisation earlier than when it is a few days to the deadline.
“The body should have, long ago, flooded the streets with posters, handbills, stickers, jingles and what have you rather than the fire brigade approach.
“The current situation now makes people appear losing confidence in the CBN which is dangerous,” the former senior staff of the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting PLC noted.
Earlier, representative of the CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, Mr Sunny Daibo, had underscored the reason for the visit to the palace and Warri kingdom.
Daibo, who’s from Koko, Warri kingdom in Warri North, said the CBN headquarters in Abuja had directed the team to visit the Olu of Warri on the sensitisation drive.
He urged the palace to help reach the people, especially those in the creeks, to remind them that the old notes being withdrawn from circulation would cease to be legal tender after Jan. 31, hence the need for them to deposit the old ones before the expiration date.
Mr Daibo promised to relay the various issues raised concerning the redesigned naira notes and people’s complaints to the CBN headquarters.
