Commercial motorists in Gombe State have called on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to extend the deadline for the withdrawal of the old naira notes in order to allow the new notes to circulate effectively.
Speaking at a sensitisation campaign organised by the apex bank at a Motor Park in the Gombe metropolis, the motorists complained that old notes were more in circulation than the new notes.
A driver, Muhammad Sani, said that the number of passengers that boarded vehicles with the old naira notes outnumbered those coming to the motor park with the new ones.
Another driver who simply identified himself as Malam Ahmed alleged that the new notes were being hoarded by the banks.
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“Some of us have visited bank Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs) but it keeps dispensing old notes contrary to the directive of the CBN. When you deposit the old note at the counter in banks, they ask you to go and withdraw from the ATMs, but the machines keep dispensing the old notes,” he said.
Responding, Gombe Branch Controller of the CBN, Shehu Alhaji Goringo, who led the team to the sensitisation campaign, revealed that there were enough newly redesigned naira notes to be distributed to Nigerians.
He also explained that the CBN had directed all commercial banks to desist from giving out old notes to customers.
