Anger, frustration as Nigerians protest over naira scarcity, petrol shortage

Frustration. Indignation. Tears. These words succinctly describe the mood of Nigerians who have been trying to get cash from banks as well as petrol in the past days.

In October 2022, Godwin Emefiele, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), announced the plan to redesign the N200, N500, and N1,000 notes, and asked Nigerians to deposit their old notes before January 31, 2023 when they would cease to be legal tender.

Although the deadline was extended to February 10, many Nigerians have found it difficult to obtain the new naira notes.

Before the cash shortage, Nigerians have been dealing with months-long petrol scarcity across the country with the product now being sold for as high as N1,000 per litre in some states.

Faced with cash and petrol scarcity, Nigerians have taken to the streets in some states to protest their experiences at queues in banks and petrol stations.

TheCable highlights how the protest is rocking some states.

OYO

On Friday, residents of Ibadan, the capital of Oyo state, mounted roadblocks and set up bonfires to protest the tarrying petrol and naira note scarcity.

The protests disrupted vehicular movement resulting in traffic congestion in the capital city.

The unrest ended with Access Bank and Wema Bank branches located in the Dugbe and Queen Cinema areas of the town being attacked.

DELTA

On Wednesday, irate youths, students, traders, and commuters, took to the streets to protest the difficulty in buying petrol and withdrawing cash.

The demonstration continued on Friday as the protesters barricaded sections of the Warri/Sapele road and other major roads in the Warri metropolis, causing gridlock in the area.

EKITI

Students of Ekiti State University, on Wednesday, protested the petrol scarcity, which they said has resulted in the hike of transport fare.

They barricaded the Iworoko road around the school campus and also blocked the school gate.

ENUGU

On Wednesday, motorists and tricycle operators in Enugu protested petrol scarcity in the parts of the state.

The enraged protesters reportedly manhandled pump attendants of filling stations and asked them to sell the product at government-approved prices.

EDO

Residents of Edo state blocked roads and took to the streets to protest the shortage of naira notes and petrol scarcity.

Things, however, took a different turn at an ATM point, resulting in a clash between students of the University of Benin and soldiers in the state.

LAGOS

Aside from heated exchanges and bitter complaints in banks across Lagos, civil society organisations (CSOs), on Tuesday, protested over the unavailability of cash at ATM points and financial institutions.

Chanting “all we are saying, give us new notes”, the members of the groups stormed the headquarters of banks in parts of Lagos.