Traders in Imo State have joined forces with owners of business outfits like petrol stations, supermarkets, pharmacies, hotels and business centres to reject old Naira notes, insisting on new notes.
Blueprint correspondent who once again went round Owerri, the Imo State capital Saturday, gathered that the traders vehemently rejected the old notes, insisting on the initial 10th February deadline given by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
At the Eke Ukwu Owere and World Bank markets, sellers of fruits, vegetables, kerosene, fufu, akpummiri (boiled cassava chips), yam, potato, fish, meat sellers etc, all demanded for new notes, saying that the old notes were no longer accepted.
A trader, Ngozi told Blueprint that one of the reasons they decided to reject old notes was that “it takes us many hours standing on the queue in the bank to deposit money, especially when there are many depositors having too much money,” Uju said, adding: “Those we buy from no longer collect old notes, so it cannot remain in our hands.”
Meanwhile, transporters in the state have started demanding for new notes as well, blaming petrol stations who no longer accept old notes for their position.
