By; PATRICK TITUS, Uyo
Ahead of January 31 deadline for circulation of old currency notes throughout Nigeria, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has begun moves aimed at ensuring that commercial banks in the country keep to the directive.
In Akwa Ibom State, the CBN branch on Thursday, despatched a team of its personnel to various commercial banks in Uyo metropolis to monitor compliance across the state.
While two of the apex bank’s teams visited various banks in different locations in the state, the third team visited some markets to sensitize traders on the CBN policies
The banks visited include the First Bank, Zenith Bank, Access Bank, Fidelity Bank, GTB, United Bank for Africa and Union Bank all located at banking layout, Udo Udoma Avenue. Others include Unity Bank, Access Bank, First Bank, Eco Bank and Wema Bank located all along Aka Road, Uyo, the state capital.
Another group visited Sterling Bank, Zenith Bank, First Bank, Union Bank, Globus Bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA), and Globus Bank, SUNTRUST bank, Keystone Bank, Access Bank, Polaris Bank, Guarantee Trust Bank (GTB), FCMB, and Fidelity Bank in Abak Road.
While most of the banks visited had started complying with the new directives, few others were yet to fully complied as some customers were complaining of lack of cash.
Some customers at the premise of one of the banks at Banking Layout, Udo Udoma Avenue when spoken with, expressed dissatisfaction over delay, adding that they have been there since morning but could not withdraw through the Automated Teller Machine.
“I have been around since morning but I can’t withdraw because they are telling us that there is no cash,” one of them identified as Mr. Edet Akpan said and called on the officials of the CBN to address the liquidity issues.
However, most of the banks were dispensing the new banks notes at their ATM points, apart from few branches of the Zenith Bank and Sterling Bank especially those inside the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH) that were observed still dispensing the old notes both from their counter and ATM points.
It was observed that ATMs of Keystone Bank and First Bank were not dispensing when visited but customers were being paid from their counter.
Some of the banks even identified the shortage of the new notes as reason they didn’t stuck some of their ATM points.
Meanwhile, CBN has been commended for the ongoing enlightenment campaign for Nigerians to embrace the new currency redesign policy.
The commendations were made when officials of the CBN, Akwa Ibom State branch took the sensitization exercise on the new naira notes to Itam park and Itam market all within the Uyo metropolis.
The CBN officials led by the Deputy Director, Abuja office, Mr Ekanem Akpan and Assistant Director, Head Banking, Uyo branch, Mr Isang Agbomi had visited the park and the market with flyers for the sensitization exercise.
Some of the people who reacted said they were happy to see officials of the CBN coming to park and market to educate the people on the development in the new monetary policy in the country.
A long distant motor driver, Mr Emmanuel Udoh said they don’t have power to reject the redesign naira notes since it was government directive and policy, but he regretted that members of the public might not be able to meet the January 31, 2023 deadline and therefore called for extension to the month of March.
A trader at the Itam Market, Madam Rose Michael tasked the management of CBN to stop commercial banks and other monetary outlets from dispensing the old naira notes to customers for easy penetration of the new notes in the society.
