Naira redesign: Fake money transfers rock Onitsha Main market - chairman

 

The market chairman, Chief Ezeoha

Naira redesign: Fake money transfers rock Onitsha Main market - chairman

By Chinwe Nwacha, Onitsha

As most Nigerians are yet to have the new naira notes in exchange for old ones, no fewer than eight cases of fake money transfers are daily being performed at Onitsha Main market, Anambra State, as fake money transfers reportedly rocked the market.

The caretaker committee chairman of the market, Chief Innocent Ezeoha, made this disclosure while fielding questions from newsmen Wednesday, on how the naira  redesign is affecting traders in the market.

He lamented that the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, introduced cashless policy for better economy but eventually failed Nigerians by putting them into hardship to the extent that it is not easy for the people to have access to the new notes.

"Some don't even see the transfers being made to them. Few of such victims are reporting their cases here in the secretariat, that is those who summoned courage to come here. Some go to the police and others go to the vigilante groups to  Lodge their complaints and know if they will recover their money.

"In a day we record about three to four cases officially because you have scores that don't report their cases here, so on the whole about eight cases of fake money transfers daily but officially four are recorded in our secretariat. So people are finding it difficult to survive these days and something very urgent should be done to curtail the sufferings of Nigerians," he pleaded.

He recalled that the CBN team stormed the market earlier and  flagged off the new redesigned naira notes in the market and assured the traders that on 31st January, 2023, the old naira notes will seize to exist, and traders hurriedly rushed to the banks and paid all their old naira notes.

"Now even the Point of Sales, POS, cannot give the new naira notes, thereby paralysing businesses for now, nothing is moving, everybody is cashless, the petty traders don't have account numbers.

"I am pleading to CBN to release the new naira notes to us, traders, for use, queues are everywhere, POS and Bank ATM. if this hardship continues, there will be more problems," he warned.

The market boss lamented that sequel to the ugly situation, some traders do not open their shops as nobody patronizes them even as money transfers become mirage.