Fuel stations reject old naira notes in Imo

Motorists willing to buy fuel at various fuel stations in Owerri, Imo State capital, and its environs got the rudest shock as they were told to pay with the new currency notes.

However, those with ATM cards were lucky as most of the fuel stations deployed their Point of Sales (POS) machines to enable customers pay for the products.

At the Empire fuel station, one of the mega stations situated along Aba-Owerri, customers were told by fuel attendants that they were asked not to receive old naira notes.

Our correspondent, who went to buy fuel, was told that the old currency with him was not acceptable.

Though the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has fixed February 10 as the last day for the exchange of the old naira notes, the Supreme Court, in a ruling on Wednesday asked the apex bank to suspend the directive.

The apex court was ruling in an ex parte application brought by three state governments – Kogi, Kaduna and Zamfara – which sought an extension of time for the exchange of the old notes for the new currency.