SOME residents of Ilorin, Kwara State capital, on Wednesday, February 15 staged a protest over the scarcity of naira notes and premium motor spirit (pms) otherwise known as fuel.
The protest led to the shutdown of roadside businesses.
The protesters also blocked major roads in the city with bonfires, leaving motorists and passengers stranded.
The protest affected several parts of Ilorin, including Okolowo, Ogidi, Gambari, Sango, Surulere.
Speaking during the demonstration, one of the protesters, Abdumumin said the residents decided to protest when they couldn’t bear the pressure again.
Abdulmumin who is also a vulcanizer, expressed concerns that the naira redesign policy introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had affected his business as cars are not moving on the road.
“The protest is to show how angry we are. Cars haven’t been passing on the road and that makes it hard for my own business to prosper.
“Helps us beg the government because we are hungry. We don’t see new naira money. The old ones we have are no more accepted and that’s affecting me personally,” Abdumumin said.
Another resident who simply gave his name as Ibrahim disclosed to The ICIR that they decided to embark on the protest when they discovered that old naira notes are no longer accepted.
“This morning, information circulated that people are not accepting old naira notes again. Our expectation is that the governor should come out and address the situation the way some other state governors did. We learnt that there are governors who have instructed that the old notes should be accepted by the banks and that any bank who refused to accept it would be closed.
“There’s also the issue of fuel scarcity too. There is a lot of pressure because the filling stations have refused to sell fuel and that is why people are protesting.”
However, the state governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Rafiu Ajakaye, urged the people to remain calm.
“I testify to the inconvenience this development has brought. We are in this together, and we are not missing any opportunity to work with the CBN and the Federal Government to bring ease to the people within reasonable time. I admit it has been tough, and we do not take your patience for granted,” parts of the statement said.
In Ogun, some major roads were barricaded by aggrieved residents who are protesting against the scarcity of naira notes and fuel.
The protest also affected commercial activities as citizens made bonfires on the road.
On Tuesday, February 14, the protesters barricaded the Joju junction along the Idiroko-Ota road, causing heavy traffic gridlock.
Meanwhile Ogun State governor Dapo Abiodun faulted the commercial banks for refusing to accept old notes while failing to make new naira notes available.
In a post on his Twitter account, the governor threatened to shut down banks that refuse to accept old naira notes.
“We will shut down any commercial bank operating in Ogun State that refuses to accept old naira notes,” the governor vowed.
