Jutha Gupah, Maiduguri
Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno state, has decried the non-dispensing of the re-designed naira notes from the automated teller machines (ATMs) of commercial banks in the state.
Zulum raised the alarm, on Friday, in Maiduguri, during the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Committee courtesy visit on the compliance of commercial banks to dispense N200, N500, and N1, 000 notes to customers in the country.
According to him, the presence of commercial banks is only in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC), Jere, Shani and Biu Local Councils in the state.
He, therefore, declared before the apex bank Committee that; “Twenty three Local Councils in the State however; lacked financial services for over a decade to access ATMs for the CBN redesigned new notes.”
The Governor noted that it has led many communities to battle with the challenges of accessing financial services due to insecurity to lives and property.
Besides, he added that the destructions of telecom masts and financial institutions by Boko Haram insurgents in the state denied customers access to the new currency notes.
“We’re in support of the CBN policy on the redesigned new naira notes,” he said, adding that it will have long-term economic benefits to the Nigerian economy.
He noted that all the infrastructures required to implement the apex bank’s new policy, are lacking in many communities, including the borders areas with Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
“At present, I’m not in possession of the new notes recently released by the CBN,” he said, adding that this includes the poor on the streets and live in villages.
He said that last week the State government approved the release of N800 million to cushion the hardships of the repentant Boko Haram terrorists.
“So how does the CBN expect these repentant terrorists, while they are in the custodies of security agencies to exchange the old notes with new ones,” he queried the apex bank on accessing the new notes.
According to him, the repentant insurgents could not open accounts with commercial banks while they are in custody.
Citing Kala-Balge Local Council at the border with Niger, he said: “It is disheartening to inform you that there is no vehicle that had access to the council for over seven years.”
He further disclosed that the people there; have to travel by canoes for 16 kilometres to buy food items from Cameroon.
“I was also informed last week that the traumatized people could no longer buy food items from Cameroun, as the trades reject the old naira notes.
The same, he added applies to Kukawa Local Council, Baga and Banki border communities with Niger and Cameroon including parts of south Borno senatorial district.
He noted that out of the nine councils in the district, only Biu and Shani Councils have financial services to customers.
He, therefore, stated that Government will provide security to the apex bank Committee to exchange the old notes for new ones.
He warned that this was to prevent the people from being short changed by the CBN policy on the redesigned three different naira notes.
Responding, the CBN Committee Chairman, Mohammed Tumala, said that the bank directed all its Directors to go back to their States in overcoming the challenges of accessing the new notes to exchange with the old ones.
“We are to ensure full compliance of the commercial banks to their customers by dispensing the new naira notes,” he said, warning that the old notes should not be withheld for further circulation by the commercial banks.
