Since the failed implementation of the naira redesign policy, many Nigerians have struggled because of a scarcity of the new notes. And even though the Central Bank of Nigeria announced that all old notes will remain legal tender until December 31t, the unprecedented scarcity of the naira persists.
Speaking on the subject, a few Nigerians shared their experience of the situation.
“I’ve been stuck on the island for two weeks because I don’t have access to cash” — Tommy
First, I’m currently stuck on the Island. I haven’t gone back home in two weeks because I don’t have access to cash, and I definitely can’t afford Uber to and from work every day. The other part is that I miss eating mama put food. It sounds funny but since I have no cash, I’ve only been able to eat from eateries, and that’s becoming too expensive for me………CONTINUE READING
“We lost money to a driver we transferred to” — Ajoke
Two weeks ago, I wanted to go to the Trade Fair market to get things for my business. I was with my friend, and we had about ₦1,500 cash on us at the time we left home. We went out with the hopes that when we got to the market, we’d be able to withdraw or even make transfers to the bus drivers.
When we reached Mile 2, the POS agents told us that to get ₦3,000 in new notes, we would pay ₦1,500. We just laughed and walked away. Then we met a bus driver at the park who said he would accept transfers. So we agreed that we would pay our fare and then add an extra ₦2,000, plus a ₦500 charge and he would give us the ₦2k cash.
We initiated the transfer and that was the start of another delay for us. The driver kept insisting that he hadn’t received the alert and so couldn’t give us the money. We were in a hurry because it was only a few minutes before the market’s 5pm closing time.
We had been waiting for over an hour at this point and so we started to plead with him to check his bank balance. But he started getting aggressive because he assumed we were accusing him of lying to us. He even said the transaction had probably been reversed to us.
It wasn’t until people intervened that he decided to give us ₦1,000. It was about 30 minutes past closing time, so we had to return home because there was no longer any point in going to the market. That was how we lost money to that driver.
“I put my mum in a cab to go home, while I stayed back to look for cash” — Eva
Some weeks ago, my mum was coming from Eket to Port Harcourt, and she had used most of her cash to buy stuff. She only had a little cash left on her, so she called me to make a transfer, and I did.
After a while, the driver said the alert hadn’t been received and that there would be no movement. But he had a change of heart and told me that he would bring her down to PH, but I would have to bring the money to the park or he would seize her bags.
All I had at home was ₦1,500. I took that money, carried my baby and ran to the park. My mission was to find a POS operator to withdraw the balance of the fare and then my transport fare to go home. After battling with network issues, I decided to gather all the cash my mum and I had. It summed up to about ₦4k. So I paid the driver first, and put my mum in a cab to go home with my baby and the things she brought with her. I stayed back to look for cash.
I walked around trying all the POS operators I could find, but none of them had cash. I almost started to cry. Only one solution came to mind. I called a POS operator that lived close to my house to ask her if she could give me ₦250 when I got home and she agreed. All I had to do now was find a taxi driver to explain my situation to.
Luckily, I found a driver that let me pay when I reached my destination. That was how I got home that day. I’m just glad I didn’t have to resort to begging.
“I almost missed a friend’s wedding because I couldn’t pay for my ride” — Onyinye
A few weeks ago, I went to the salon to get my hair done. I had told them from the beginning that I had no cash on me, and they said it was fine. When my hair was finished and it was time to make payment, the real problem started.
I tried to make a transfer with both of my bank apps and their USSD channels. No network. I’m just happy I’m a regular at the salon, so there was no embarrassment. I finally walked around until I saw a POS operator who helped me to make the transfer. For a fee, of course.
I thought that was the worst, but the day after, I had to attend a friend’s wedding. I booked an Uber just because I didn’t have cash. The car took me to the venue, and when it was time to pay, the event of the previous day repeated itself. Both bank apps. Nothing.
My brother and sister were at this wedding so I called them to meet me outside. We tried to make a transfer with five different bank apps, but none of them worked. I had to beg the Uber driver to take me to the nearest ATM, which was the headquarters of one of these big banks. So many machines but only one had service. No cash in that one.
The security guard even offered to look for a POS operator for me. When he couldn’t find one, I had to join the very long queue at that ATM just to make a transfer to the Uber driver. After everything, he drove me back to the wedding.
Imagine I had reached that wedding and they had finished sharing rice! What would I have done?……..Continue Reading
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