LAGOS JANUARY 26TH (URHOBOTODAY)-Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chieftain and former Delta State Gubernatorial Aspirant, Chief Sunny Onuesoke  has lamented over the scarcity of new Naira across the country, just as he called on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to extend  the deadline  to create room for its availability.

The PDP Chieftain  made the call yesterday after the Central Bank of Nigeria on Tuesday insisted that there was no going back on the stipulated deadline despite appeals by the National Assembly, key stakeholders,  bank customers and  suffering encountered by Nigerians who could make purchase with the old notes.

Onuesoke who experienced sad encounter yesterday when a trader rejected his old notes while wanting to buy a bottle of groundnuts said, “Right now people do not accept the old money and the new notes are not available in the banks. What kind of country is this? We cannot access the new currency in the banks. CBN is giving contradictory story that they have issue money to the commercial banks.

“Traders do not want to buy new goods, they do not want to sell their former goods with old currency. There is confusion in the country right now.

“For example, I went to buy a bottle of  groundnut, the lady refused to take N1300 for the purchase of  bottle of groundnut because the money is old currency.”

He further explained that he visited five banks  and none of the ATMs dispensed cash, adding that  the explanation was that banks do not  want to load old naira notes in obedience to CBN instruction and  yet they do not  have enough new notes.

“Furthermore, most ATMs are not dispensing N500 and N1, 000 notes, either old or new. How will CBN ensure the circulation of the new N200 notes, which will be in high demand for cash transactions, when it doesn’t dispense from the ATM?” he queried.

Onuesoke  noted that going ahead with the January 31st deadline was tantamount to further increasing the pains of Nigerians.

According to him, “The visible sign is that there are a lot of people, particularly in the rural areas who are  yet  to transfer the old notes. This is the reason I will join other Nigerians to look at this critically so that the condition of the masses is not worsened. .

“It is an understatement to say that our people are suffering in Nigeria. People are going through pains  in this country. Tthings are not okay at all. Am calling on the president to look into it and extend the deadline.”

He advised CBN to investigate and sanction the Banks that are still loading old notes into ATMs at this late stage in the process.