A video of an elderly man weeping inside a banking hall has surfaced on social media platforms.
Speaking in Yoruba, the elderly man, who was seated with a crutch placed in front of him, said he needs to access cash in order to buy drugs.
“All I want is money to buy my drugs and also get food to eat. The person that sells drugs for me said I must bring cash, and I have money in the bank but can’t access it,” he said while weeping.
Godwin Emefiele, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), had in October announced the redesign of the naira note to control money supply and aid security agencies in tackling illicit financial flow.
The new N1,000, N500 and N200 naira notes have been scarce since their release into circulation, resulting in protests and attacks on banks.
President Muhammadu Buhari had promised Nigerians that he would take a “major decision” on the cash scarcity situation by February 10, but nothing of the sort has happened yet.
Meanwhile, the supreme court had temporarily restrained the federal government from restricting the use of the old naira notes pending the determination of a suit filed by some states.
See the video of the elderly man below.
