Nigeria: Enugu Business Owners Continue to Reject Old N500, N1,000 Notes

A food vendor said she would not collect the old notes because nobody was ready to collect them from her.

Some business owners in Enugu State have continued to reject the old naira notes for transactions despite the Supreme Court judgment validating them, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

Many business owners, who spoke to NAN on Thursday in Enugu, said they were yet to receive directives from the appropriate authority to start collecting the old N500 and N1,000 notes again.

They said it would be difficult to spend the old notes because many residents were rejecting the old notes as well.

A tricycle rider, Uche Ossai, said he had not started collecting the old notes because he would find it difficult to spend them as many fuel stations were still rejecting them too.

A food vendor, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said she would not collect the old notes because nobody was ready to collect them from her.

"The transporters have refused to collect the old notes of N500 and N1,000; so you do not expect me to collect it from others because it may end up being a waste to me," she said.

A provision shop owner at Mayor Market, Jude Okoye, told NAN that he preferred his customers to pay him electronically than to receive the old naira notes from them.

A salon owner, Jacinta Nweke, told NAN that the staff of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) refused to collect the old naira notes from her when she wanted to pay her hospital bills.

"When I went to UNTH to pay for my hospital bill after seeing the doctor they refused to collect the old notes from me, telling me they have not received a directive from the appropriate authority," he said.

A resident of Achara layout, Gloria Okoroafor, said the tricycle rider, who brought her home, refused to collect the old notes from her recently.

She added that the tricycle rider said that it was only the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) that could collect it as he had not heard from the CBN telling people to start receiving it.

(NAN)

AllAfrica publishes around 500 reports a day from more than 100 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.