Enugu residents scream as cash scarcity worsens

Many residents of Enugu metropolis have decried difficulty in getting cash for their daily usage, saying that it has negatively affected socio-economic activities in the area.

The residents, who spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu on Monday, appealed to the Central bank of Nigeria (CBN) to urgently look into naira notes scarcity and provide solutions.

The residents said that both the old and the new naira notes were scarce, hindering their businesses and making it difficult for them to meet basic family needs.

A businessman, Mr Onyechi Okechukwu, said that he had not been able to access cash to buy food for his family.

Okechukwu said that his efforts to withdraw money over-the-counter from commercial banks failed as the banks told him that they did not have cash.

He said that the cash scarcity had put much pressure on the average Nigerian, urging that it should not continue.

Another resident of the area, who preferred anonymity, accused bank workers of hoarding new naira notes, urging CBN to intensify monitoring.

She regretted that Point-of-Sale (POS) operators were taking advantage of the situation to extort the masses.

“POS operators now charge 20 per cent of every amount you want to take. It is outrageous. Nigerians do not deserve the suffering.

“The question now is not whether you have money in your account but if you can withdraw the money. It is really very unfortunate,’’ she said.

A civil servant, Mrs Joy Eze, described civil servants in the state as the worst hit by the situation.

She said that they could not access their salaries and could not afford transport fares to their workplaces.