The deadline for the old Naira notes to cease as legal tender across Nigeria is just six days away and the Federal Capital Territory Administration has led a campaign, focusing on rural areas across the FCT to sensitise residents on the need to deposit all old currencies before January 31.
The Central Bank of Nigeria had fixed January 31 as the last day which the old N200, N500, and N1000 Nigerian Naira notes will cease to serve as legal tender, following their redesign.
To this end, the FCTA through its Department of Reforms Coordination and Service Improvement (RCSI), has taken the awareness campaign to the grassroots, in a collaborative effort with traditional rulers across the 17 Chiefdoms of the FCT.
Explaining the initiative during a visit to the Palaces of Sarkin Bwari and Esu Bwari, Abuja, Mr. Fatai Bello, who led the team, said the FCT Administration under the leadership of the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello was concerned that as the January 31 deadline is fast approaching, new currency policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) might not have gotten to the rural communities of the FCT.
This, he said explains why FCTA decided to assist in engaging traditional rulers and to ensure that they get to their subjects, and insist that they should take their money to banks before the deadline.
He said: “The campaign is being carried out in the 17 Chiefdoms of the FCT across the six Area Councils. We already have the jingles being run on most of the radio stations, so the message is actually going down to the target group, who are receiving the message quite well.
“It is our responsibility as the Reform Coordination and Service Improvement Department, for which we run 24/7 call centre. And we received daily calls on some of the questions and concerns raised during the visit to the Chiefs.
“We have a mechanism of which we pass these concerns to the appropriate authorities, and get feedback.
“We are going to review some of the issues raised particularly those that directly concerns the CBN for us to be able to get feedback from the CBN, and we promised that within 24 hours, we are going to get back to them, having taken the necessary steps”.
At the Sa Bwaya palace in Bwari, the Esu Bwari, HRH Ibrahim Yaro, who commended the FCT Minister for the sensitisation effort, said they have been trying their best to see that people having old notes in their houses should take them to the banks on or before the deadline.
He said as district heads, they will speak with people in their respective domains.
“Although the time is short, but we know that nothing good comes easy, because definitely some people will suffer, but after suffering, we will enjoy it. So we the traditional rulers with your support, we will do the necessary thing to ensure that our people comply with the directive”.
For his part, Sarkin Bwari, Alh. Awwal Musa Muhammad Ijakoro, suggested that the government could consider provision of cash collection centres in rural areas, so as to help ameliorate the hardships that the people go through to deposit their old currencies in the banks outside their settlements.
Meanwhile, a Bwari resident, Vincent Yusuf, said community leaders can help coordinate the monies of the people to take to the banks in order to avoid the long queues, adding that POS operators should be given special treatment, because they are closer to the common people.
Hauwa Abu
