This was captured in a video shared by The Nation through its verified Twitter handle, which showed protesters storming major cities in Ore town, Ondo State, disrupting daily activities.
On Friday, angry residents blocked the Benin-Ore Highway in protest of the persistent scarcity of Naira notes.
The Benin-Ore-Sagamu Expressway is a 492 km dual-lane highway that connects Benin City to Ore in Ondo State and Sagamu in Ogun State. Through the Benin-Auchi axis, it connects the South-South part of Nigeria to the Southwest and Northern parts of the country.
Due to scarcity, many Nigerians are currently unable to obtain the new N200, N500, and N1,000 notes. Many Nigerians and businesses have suffered as a result, and some cities have seen violent protests.
The Central Bank of Nigeria set February 10 as the deadline for exchanging old naira notes for newly redesigned ones, after initially setting January 31 as the deadline.
To alleviate the situation, President Buhari directed the Central Bank Governor to keep the old N200 (two hundred naira note) legal tender until April 10, 2023.
However, the continued scarcity of naira notes suggests that the president’s directive has not alleviated Nigerians’ financial hardship.
Protesters told NAN that the situation was affecting them and their families.
They bemoaned their inability to obtain cash from banking establishments and Automated Teller Machines (ATMs).
One of the protesters, Mr. Kayode Akinbola, stated: “This is indeed a hard time for us, the naira scarcity is taking a toll on me and my family, and this protest is to demonstrate that we are not happy over this situation.”
Mr. Rotimi Akinluwa, another protester said he has money in the bank but cannot get it.
“Even the Point of Sale (PoS) operators no longer have the cash even if you want to buy, this is so frustrating,” he said.
Mr. Bummi Adewole, another protester, called President Buhari’s nationwide broadcast on Thursday “the most frustrating one because he refused to heed to the yearnings of the masses in his broadcast.”
“Buhari said they should re-circulate the N200 old notes, how many people will this satisfy, in fact, there is no solution on the way at all and the problem continues,” Adewole added.
The state police command’s spokesperson, ASP Funmilayo Odunlami, stated that they would maintain law and order.
