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By: Hakeem Gbadamosi, Akure
Commercial activities were on Wednesday paralysed in Akure, the Ondo state capital and some other towns as residents trooped out to protest the lingering scarcity of the new naira notes.
The protesters, who were mainly youths include commercial motorcyclists, also known as okada riders and other residents who blocked the bank roads in Alagbaka area of Akure, protesting over the rejection of the old naira notes by banks.
The Okada riders barricaded the main road leading to the banks, the Central Bank of Nigeria in the state, governor’s office and the state Secretariat, chanting various solidarity songs.
The protesters caused traffic gridlock in the area for several hours as all the commercial banks in the area hurriedly closed operation over fear of being attacked.
Speaking on the protest, one of the protesters, who identified himself as Kunle Ilori, said they decided to block the road to table their grievances over the rejection of the old notes by the banks.
He said the new naira policy has brought untold suffering to Nigerians over the inability to spend the old notes and receive the new notes from the bank.
He said , ” I don’t know what to call this one that is happening in Nigeria, i have my money in the bank, i can not get it, we are hungry not because we don’t have money but because government does not want us to spend the money.
“We have been keeping quiet since, maybe they thought we are comfortable with it, that is why the CBN and Buhari are not doing anything about it.
“The court said we should continue to spend the old notes but the bank did not collect it from us and they are not producing the new naira notes.
“This is very unfortunate and we will continue to protest until the government acts”
In Owo town, the headquarters of the Owo Local Government Area of the state, youths and market women also staged a peaceful protest, blocking all the major roads in the town, hindering vehicular movements
The protesters, who were said to be chanting solidarity songs headed to the palace of the Olowo to express their grievances to the traditional ruler.
The traditional ruler of the town, the Olowo of Owo, Oba Ajibade Ogunoye, who addressed the protesters, appealed to them to be peaceful and avoid anything that can lead to breakdown of law and order in the community.
The monarch said, ” This is, no doubt a trying period in the life of the people of Nigeria and I want to appeal to you not to do anything that will break the law and disrupt the peace of the town.”
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