A coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on Thursday took the campaign for acceptance of the newly redesigned naira notes to Garki modern market in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
The coalition said the move was part of efforts to sensitise market men and women to the new naira notes.
It also explained that the campaign was to promote the cashless policy introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
This is as traders in the market expressed concern over the unavailability of the redesigned naira notes in banks and rejection of old naira notes by their clients.
Motorists and some filling stations in the FCT have started rejecting the old notes which will stop to be a legal tender by January 31 as directed by the CBN.
Speaking during the sensitisation on Thursday in Abuja, President of the Coalition of Civil Society on Good Governance, (CCSGG), Bassey Etuk, informed the traders that the CBN has resolved not to extend the January 31 deadline for the implementation of the new policy, hence the need for them to do away with the old naira notes to avoid expiration.
Etuk, who insisted that the implementation of the policy will strengthen the Nigerian economy, said the cashless policy has come to stay.
He said: “We support the policies by the CBN Governor, and we will educate other Nigerians about these policies because it is for their good and wellbeing including unborn Nigerians.
“CBN has mandated all banks that they should desist from putting old naira notes into the Automatic Teller Machine (ATM). When you go to ATM machines, what you will find now is the new naira notes. And that is why CBN has come so boldly to tell all Nigerians that the deadline for you and I to return all notes is January 31, which is next week, Tuesday.
“Nobody should take advice from anybody apart from what CBN has said. Go to your bank. Approach your banks to provide you with the new naira notes.”
A Point Of Sale (POS) operator who identified himself as Mohammed Jegu llamented the level at which customers were rejecting the old naira notes at his stands, maintaining that the new notes are not available in the banks.
He urged the Federal Government and the CBN to extend the date of the expiration of the old naira notes until the new notes are fully in circulation.
