The Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Moyosore Onigbanjo, has urged Lagosians who have been affected by the naira crisis to press charges.

According to him, any bank that refuses to pay its customers cash on demand has violated the terms of the contract.

He said, “There is a contract between a customer and a bank that says when you bring your money to us you can have it back on demand. Any bank that refuses to give the money on demand has violated the terms and conditions of that contract and can be sued. I will advise Lagosians who have experienced suffering and injury as a result of the situation to press charges.”

The Lagos AG decried the fact that Nigerians were buying their own currency, while business owners keep losing money due to the CBN policy.

“There is, therefore, no need to consider any shift from the deadline of February 10.”

Emefiele’s statement came after Supreme Court had restrained the Federal Government from implementing the February 10 deadline for the currency swap.

As the apex bank keeps mopping up the old notes in circulation without releasing adequate new notes, the situation has become worse than what the CBN governor opined during his address at the Foreign Affairs ministry.

More so, some commercial banks, filling stations, and businesses, upon hearing the CBN governor’s assertion on Tuesday, stopped the collection of the old naira notes, even though such action amounted to disobeying court order.

The situation is even worst for elderly citizens who reside in remote areas, have no access to cash for their daily domestic use, and the fact that they can’t initiate mobile or internet banking transactions worsen the situation for such elderly people.

As the hardship bites harder, many Nigerian youths took to the street in various states to protest the scarcity and the associated hardship the implementation of the CBN Naira redesign and cashless policy has brought on them.

Youth Protest In Warri, Edo, Ondo, Oyo

Irate youths in Warri, Delta State, on Wednesday, set ablaze two commercial banks in protest against the continued scarcity of the new naira notes coupled with their rejection of the old notes.

The affected banks located in the Orovwohworun area of Udu, Delta State included branches of First Bank of Nigeria and Access Bank.

One of the protesters who would not disclose his identity said, “We are hungry and we are in a cash dilemma. No new naira notes and they are rejecting the old ones. People cannot eat, do business, we are hungry and people are dying and they are still saying politics”.

Also in Oyo and Ondo states, some residents barricade roads in protest of the naira scarcity, while in Edo state, a first bank Automated Teller Machine (ATM) was burnt down.

Scores of commercial motorcyclists, also known as okada riders, on Wednesday took to the streets of Akure, the state capital, in protest against the scarcity of the new naira notes while old notes were being rejected by commercial banks.

The okada riders barricaded the Oba Adesida Road at the popular First Bank Roundabout chanting various solidarity songs, causing a traffic logjam on the road for some hours.

All commercial banks located in the area swiftly closed operations for fear of being attacked.

The protest scene was less than 500 metres away from the Akure branch of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Police Arrest Nine Suspects

Meanwhile, the Delta State Police Command has announced that it has arrested nine suspects in connection to the banks that were burnt in the Udu Local Government Area of the State.

This was made known by the Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, Bright Edafe, on Wednesday via his social media handle.

His tweet reads, “In UDU LGA of Delta State, some unguided youths/miscreants in the name of protest have set two banks and two vehicles ablaze. We have arrested nine suspects so far. Some persons will still call this protest”

The Central Bank of Nigeria has through its governor, Godwin Emefiele said that there was no need to shift the February 10, 2023 deadline, while warning that POS operators who charge above ₦200 for swapping will be charged to court and jailed.

The governor of the CBN stated this during a visit to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday, to discuss the monetary and currency redesign policy of the bank.

He said, “The situation is substantially calming down since the commencement of over-the-counter payments to complement ATM disbursements and the use of super-agents.

“There is, therefore, no need to consider any shift from the deadline of February 10.”

This comes as the Supreme Court earlier restrained the Federal Government from implementing the February 10 deadline for the currency swap.

He also said that Point of Sale agents who charge above N200 for the CBN cash swap programme will be arrested and jailed when caught.

The CBN governor further said that the PoS operators can come to the CBN to be compensated for any extra cost incurred in getting the new notes rather than charging a higher fee to customers.

Like many parents, Mercy Johnson-Okojie has shown that protecting one’s children is a priority.

Recall that in October 2021 the actress had called out a teacher in her daughter’s school, stating that she can be hated but not her children.
However, revealing why she is so protective of her children, Mercy in the latest episode of her cooking show, explained that she has been through many tough times in the past and as a child she understood the term hunger and abuse.

She said, “Because as a child, I suffered so much and I remember crying with nobody to clean my eyes. I can define hunger because I know it. I can define abuse. It’s a feeling I don’t want any child, not the one that came from me to go through.”

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Speaking further, the mother of four stated that her children occupy the first place in her life because the thought of them ever having to experience even a little bit of her harsh past makes her shudder, the reason why she shields them jeaously.

In her words, “So like I always say, my life is like a scale of preference and they [My Children] come first before every other thing. My past is the reason why I’m so protective of my kids.”

Popular Nollywood actor, Daniel Etim-Effiong has urged young Nigerians aspiring to get married not to be carried away by tons of glossy pictures of ‘perfect’ couples on social media.

 Divine Oduduru, the Nigerian national record-holder in 200 metres, has been suspended indefinitely by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for violating two anti-doping policies.

This development is the latest in Nigeria’s low moments in track and field, coming about a year after the 11-year ban imposed on former national team captain Blessing Okagbare.