Nigerians have called for an intervention from the Federal Government to ease the hardship and frustration being faced because of the new monetary policy introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Some residents of Abuja who spoke against the scarcity of cash said they are not finding the situation easy.
Mr Stanley Nwabuzor said that the Federal Government and other authorities should intervene in the situation, adding that the hardship is getting harder and unbearable.
Nwabuzor said that the Federal Government should urgently put an end to issues surrounding the scarcity of the new Naira notes.
He said that the situation had brought long-suffering and untold hardship to many Nigerians.
According to him, Nigerians are really facing hard times, some don’t even see complete three square meals to eat.
“I believed that the experience we had during the COVID-19 pandemic is far better than this time.
“A situation whereby we use the money to buy our own money is a terrible and serious issue,” he said.
Dr Godwin Elele, a resident of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and clergy, who expressed worry at the development, said Nigerians are no longer finding life easy and bearable.
Elele, however, advised Nigerians to bear with the government over the policy.
According to him, the essence of the naira redesign was to stop vote buying and to reduce the high rate of inflation in the country.
“I believe that at the end of the day, Nigerians will realise the importance of the policy and appreciate the effort of the government.
Elele also urged the government to release more new naira notes into the system to enable Nigerians to have access to them.
Also, Mr Micheal Brutus, a retired Principal, who condemned the situation, said he felt for the poor masses, especially those parents that have little children.
“I feel for those families that have tender children, some of them watch their children crying from hunger and there is no money to buy food for them.
“I am not saying that the situation is not affecting me, but I am an adult and I have grown up children, of course, none of them is based in Nigeria.
“I pray that this terrible situation will be over by Monday, after the presidential election.
“I am encouraging Nigerians to remain calm and continue to endure, all I know is that whatever has a beginning must as well have an end,” he said.
Brutus called on the Federal Government and the CBN to expedite action with its circulation.
Mrs Hannatu Garba, a civil servant, said that the Federal Government had good intentions by introducing the policy, but its implementation was not well managed.
Garba said that the essence of the policy was to use the opportunity to tackle insecurity, reduce corruption and engender the global best practice in fiscal policy management.
According to her, the policy would have been better implemented if the Federal Government had put some relevant measures in place before going into such a policy.
“Our network is very poor and commercial banks cannot manage the poor situation because Nigeria is a large country. Before introducing such a policy, certain measures should be put in place,” he said.
Garba praised Nigerians for having patience with the situation and urged the authority to do the right thing by putting more money into circulation.
