Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu has urged residents and businesses to accept and deal with the old N500 and N1,000 notes, as directed by the Supreme Court.
In a countrywide broadcast on Thursday, the Governor stated that refusing to accept the old notes amounts to disobeying a direct court order.
Akeredolu went on to say that if Ondo State residents continue to refuse the money, it will only cause them unnecessary suffering and pain.
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He said that the Supreme Court judgment confirmed the old naira notes as legal tender until December 31, 2023, and he thus urged the people of the state to embrace, utilize, and accept the old notes alongside the new ones as required by law.
While urging banks to increase the circulation of naira notes in order to alleviate people’s suffering, Governor Akeredolu urged all media organizations in the state, as well as all traditional rulers, community leaders, and opinion shapers, to assist the government in educating the people, particularly at the grassroots, on the importance of embracing and accepting old naira notes.
He said “It is therefore of great concern to me today, that a large section of our people in the state, particularly traders in our markets, taxi and bus drivers, barbers, auto mechanics and artisans are rejecting the old naira notes thereby inflicting and sustaining a needless pain on their fellow citizens and customers.
” This is unfortunate and unexpected. It is a flagrant disobedience to the law and the Central Bank directives.
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“I, therefore, wish to inform you that the rejection of the old N1,000, N500 and N200 notes by us will do us no good. It will stifle our local trade and business transactions, weaken our economy and cause us great harm and avoidable troubles.
“I hereby use this opportunity to appeal to you all, my good people of Ondo State, to embrace and accept the old notes alongside the new notes as stipulated by law. Let us not create a needless tension over the matter. Please collect, spend and exchange the old notes without let or hindrance.”
Furthermore, Akeredolu reminded the people that his administration had never hidden its position on the federal government’s new naira policy, and that now that the Supreme Court has ruled in its favor, there is no need for the people to continue inflicting unnecessary pains on themselves by rejecting the old notes.
The Governor said: ”It is imperative that I address you today because of the need to halt a self-induced pain currently being experienced by us all in the state. This is on account of the circulation and use of the old naira notes in our economy.
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“Credible information reaching me indicates that quite a large number of residents of the state are denied the use of the old currency notes issued by the Central bank of Nigeria.
“This comes in form of rejection of the old notes as legal tender and means of exchange for goods and services particularly by traders, artisans, transporters, farmers and a large percentage of the operators of the informal sector of our economy in Ondo State.
“This development is unfortunate, undesirable and uncalled for. This is because the matter of legitimacy and return into circulation of all old naira notes in the nation’s economy has been settled permanently by the Supreme Court of Nigeria and also backed up by the appropriate instruments of implementation by the Central Bank of Nigeria.
“Our people will recall that the Apex Court, in its recent judgement had among others, ruled that the old currency notes must remain as a legal tender in exchange of goods and services in the nation.
“For avoidance of doubt, the judgment ordered that both the new and old notes should not only coexist but be accepted and used side by side by all Nigerians until the end of this year when the proper elimination and substitution of the old currency notes would have been completed.
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“The implication of the Supreme Court judgement is that it removes the daily pain, discomfort and trauma being faced by the people of this country occasioned by the scarcity of the new notes.
“It is also geared towards ensuring stability, strength and vitality for our economy, particularly the informal economy which involves, on daily basis, the largest number of our people at the grassroots.
“If we may recall that from the onset of the Federal Government’s policy of Naira swap, our position as a state, was clear and unambiguous. We not only condemned the idea and process of implementation of the policy, we also canvassed for its total abrogation, given its timing and methodology.
“We insisted on the need for the Federal Government to resolve the introduction of the cashless policy in favour of the common man. We did this because we believe the fundamental objective of Government must be to see to the welfare and security of the people at all times.
“It is not to inflict or add more to their pains. We believe the people must be happy and free to live their lives legitimately without any pain, discomfort or trauma.“
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