RESIDENTS of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) filed at fuel stations and stormed banks and other locations where they could get money on Friday as they prepared for the Presidential and National Assembly election coming up tomorrow across Nigeria.
Checks by The ICIR reporters across the city showed that human movement was at its lowest on Friday.
There were fewer vehicles on the Airport and Kubwa expressways than previously seen.
This was because schools had temporarily closed in the city for the election, and some organizations either closed early or allowed their staff to remain at home to prepare for the poll.
Some civil servants interviewed said they didn’t go to work because they needed to prepare for the poll. There were other workers too who had got permission from their offices to stay at home and prepare for the election.
“I didn’t go to work today because my office sent a memo from Lagos on Wednesday that we had to vote. So, we were given today (Friday) as a holiday, said Maryam Abdullahi, a resident of the city who works with a non-governmental organization headquartered in Lagos State.
Many motorists were seen queuing at fuel stations, attempting to fuel their vehicles.
The reporters noted more queues at fuel stations than had been since Monday.
Mojeed Adesola, who spoke with one of the reporters at a fuel station along the Airport Road, said he had to fill his car in case of any post-election crisis.
Another resident, Rabi Musa lamented she could get cash to buy essential needs and keep for any emergency. “I have moved to four different ATMs (Automated Teller Machines) since morning. I’m yet to get a dime. I need to buy some foodstuffs at home. Not everyone can receive a transfer. I need to hold some cash in case there is an emergency.
Who some residents expressed fear over the election, others were optimistic all would be well.
Emmanuel Moses, a pastor, said the election will be peaceful. “I do not nurse any fear. Everything is going to be fine. Let people do the needful. God will take absolute control. It’s time for God to prove to Nigerians that He is still on the throne. No cause for alarm.”
Similarly, a Muslim cleric, Ibrahim Magaji, called for calm. He expressed optimism that there was no need for panic. “We did this in 2015 when the atmosphere was more tense than this. Let Nigerians elect who they want. Allah will guide us rightly,” he stated.
Cash scarcity a great worry to residents
The ICIR reporters noted that though panic buying made motorists filed at fuel stations, many banks ceased to dispense cash both in banking halls and via ATM, following biting Naira scarcity across the country.
A notice of closure was placed at the Polaris bank in Life Camp, Abuja, and security men turned customers back at the gate.
Very few customers were found in the banking hall at the Guarantee Trust Bank (GTB) in Jabi. Only those who had complaints with previous transactions were being attended to, as staff announced that the branch was out of cash.
It was a similar situation at the GTB, Wuse. A customer was spotted by The ICIR complaining bitterly in front of the bank.
A crowd of angry customers who gathered in front of the Access bank in Wuse market were also denied entry.
In the Lugbe area of the FCT, the situation was no different. A resident of Federal Housing Authority (FHA) Amarachi Ugwuanyi shared her experience with The ICIR.
“I went to various POS points in Lugbe. The first woman did not have cash. The second place I checked, she asked for N400 per N1000. I could not pay that. I had to go to a trader around my area who was giving out cash.
“He was nice enough to charge just N100 per N1000. But by the time it got to my turn, all that was remaining was N500. I paid N50 for it. I had to beg people for the money I went out with today,” she said.
Acccording to INEC, there are 1,570,307 registered voters in the FCT. Number of PVC collected is 1476,451, giving 94.0 per cent of registered voters. The number of uncollected PVC is 93,868, being 6.0 per cent of registered voters.
A total of 93,469,008 were registered for the poll, out of which 87,209,007 have collected their PVC.
Four leading presidential candidates are Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party’s Peter Obi, and Rabiu Kwankwanso of the New Nigeria’s Peoples Party (NNPP).
Marcus bears the light, and he beams it everywhere. He's a good governance and decent society advocate. He's The ICIR Reporter of the Year 2022 and has been the organisation's News Editor since September 2023. Contact him via email @ mfatunmole@icirnigeria.org
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via vopara@icirnigeria.org or @ije_le on Twitter.