Conflicting directives by CBN inflicting pains on traumatised Nigerians –CPPE

By Merit Ibe

The Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE), has expressed  concern over the conflicting directives emanating from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on where to deposit old currency notes. I stated the has been much confusion among bank customers as to whether to go to commercial banks or the CBN.  

Director of the Centre, Muda Yusuf, who made the remark following the Naira swap crisis,  noted that this confusion is inflicting additional pains on already traumatised millions of hapless Nigerians seeking to return the old notes.

Yusuf said amid the chaos which the badly implemented policy has created, it is evidently impractical for CBN offices to properly handle the process of receiving old currency notes, which are still in abundance in the hands of millions of Nigerians.  

“There is only one branch of the CBN office in each state of the federation and the FCT.  It is practically impossible for the CBN to manage this process without subjecting our citizens to another round of harrowing experience.

“The experience, images and disorderliness of the past few days at the CBN offices graphically illustrates this position.”  The director appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari and the CBN to give this process a human face, saying the agony and trauma inflicted by the entire management of the policy is unspeakable. 

“Accordingly, We plead with the CBN to allow the old notes to be deposited at the commercial banks to ease the current pains and ordeal of returning the old notes.

“The process should also be simplified to accommodate millions of rural dwellers, the informal sector players, the over 30 million unbanked Nigerians and several millions that are not literate.  The current guidelines which require filling of forms on the CBN portals, generating codes etc. does not reckon with millions of Nigerians that seek to return their old notes who are not literate, who don’t have access to internets and who are in very remote locations in various parts of the country. 

“They are Nigerians and are entitled to a fair consideration in the implementation process. Most of them are women, microenterprises and small businesses contributing immensely to employment, poverty reduction and social stability at the bottom of the economic pyramid of our country.  

“It is bad enough that their lives and livelihoods have been terribly disrupted and disoriented.

“We plead with the CBN to review its processes in the interest of fairness, justice and social inclusion.”