By Sam Egburonu, Editor

There is confusion today in Lagos State over the actual status of old N500 and N1000 Naira notes.

This is because market women, commercial bus, Keke drivers, Okada riders and filling station operators have continued to reject these old Naira notes notwithstanding Supreme Court’s recent ruling that the old Naira notes the Central Bank of Nigeria had phased out should be reissued to the Nigerian public as legal tender.

NewsOrient checks in most of Lagos State communities, including Lagos Island, Apapa, Victoria Island and Ikeja, show that some Banks Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs)   have started to reissue the old N500 and N1000 Naira Notes in line with the latest Supreme Court’s recent ruling.

But our finding in the streets of Lagos and in the markets is that most Nigerians are yet to accept the old notes as legal tender again.

Most of the people interviewed yesterday and this morning said they are not personally opposed to use of all old notes but will not accept N500 and N1000 Naira Notes until President Muhammadu Buhari speaks on the confusion and convinces or order all Nigerians, including market men and women to accept the old notes.

“Yes, I do not want to disobey the Supreme Court on use of old notes but why do you want me to accept old N500 and N1000 notes when you and I know that market women and commercial bus drivers, not to talk of Okada riders will not accept them from me,” Mallam Adamu Ishaku, shop operator in Agege said.

A female commercial Keke operator, working in Ogba, Pen Cinema, Iju and Oke Aro/Agbado routes, simply identified as Alhaja F, who also refused old Naira notes yesterday told NewsOrient reporter that she will begin to accept the old N500 and N1000 notes only when filling stations begin to accept them for purchase of petrol. “Oga, I can’t accept this na because I can’t use it to buy fuel (Petrol). Go and force filling stations to accept it. If you do this, I will accept it. Wetin be my own?”

For Engr Oko Udo, “it is shameful and frustrating for a law abiding citizen of Nigeria to use his ATM to withdraw old N500 and N1000 from licensed banks only to be told in the markets that the old notes are not acceptable as legal tender.”

Because of this development, NewsOrient reports that the confusion arising from the handling of this current monetary policy has deepened and has left many Nigerians frustrated.

Source: http//newsorientng.com