Oyebanji warns Ekiti business owners: "Reject outdated naira notes or go to jail." The governor of Ekiti State, Biodun Oyebanji, h...
Oyebanji warns Ekiti business owners: "Reject outdated naira notes or go to jail."
The governor of Ekiti State, Biodun Oyebanji, has urged locals to continue using both the old and new naira notes for payment in accordance with the Supreme Court's decision extending the expiration date of the former currency to December 23, 2023.
Oyebanji, on the other hand, asserted that the government would not think twice about apprehending and prosecuting business owners, drivers, shops, and locals who refused to accept the outdated N500 and N1,000 notes in the state.
In a challenge brought by various federation states, including Ekiti State, the Supreme Court extended the expiration date for the old naira notes in its decision on March 3.
"It becomes criminal for any company owner or service provider to reject the old notes," declared Governor Oyebanji in response to complaints from citizens that numerous business concerns in the state refused to take the old naira notes as payment.
The governor urged the citizens of Ekiti to accept the old naira notes until the deadline in December and refrain from taking any actions that might put one another in a difficult situation in a statement that was signed by his special adviser on media, Yinka Oyebode, and made available to journalists in Ado-Ekiti on Saturday.
The Governor urged market vendors, craftsmen, transporters, fuel station owners, supermarket owners, school owners, and suppliers of services to uphold the law and continue to accept old naira notes.
"This is a plea to all Ekiti State residents to uphold the Supreme Court's decision which gives a relief for the people by extending the validity date of the old naira notes to December 31st," he said.
The State Government had joined other governments in asking the Supreme Court to become involved in overturning the new currency policy, which the states claimed had caused severe pain and suffering for the populace in addition to paralyzing economic activity.
"As honorable people, what is expected of us is to follow the judgement of the top court and keep using the old naira notes as means of payment rather than rejecting it and putting one another through more suffering.
This is a special appeal to all banks to make the naira notes available in all of their branches and pay points, as well as to all merchants, business owners, service providers, okada riders, drivers, filling stations, gas stations, supermarkets, schools, hospitals, and POS operators to begin accepting the old notes right away. Anything less would amount to disobeying the judgement of the nation's highest court and undermining government attempts to ease the suffering of the populace.
As we work to create a more wealthy state, our government will keep looking for ways to improve the quality of life for our citizens.
In a similar spirit, the government "won't think twice to arrest and imprison company owners discovered rejecting the old naira notes."
In order to reduce citizens' anxiety about finding money for their everyday and professional needs, he also asked the commercial banks and CBN to make the old and new currencies available in their branches and at their automated teller machine (ATM) terminals.
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