LAGOS JANUARY 29TH (URHOBOTODAY)-Shop owners in Sapele have started rejecting the old naira notes from customers making the already tight situation tougher, just as the recent fuel price hike and scarcity  bite harder on residents.

 Many shop owners interviewed said they spend long hours at the bank to deposit their old notes and the bank still refuse to give them new naira notes.

 Mrs. Mabel Ejiro, a shop owner said she decided to start rejection of old naira notes early because she do not want to visit the banking hall a second time to change old note because of the stress she faced the last time she was there.

“Customers are at the losing ends as they cannot buy items with their old naira notes and cannot get new naira notes from banks and POS,” resident complained.

In another development, the ever increasing hike in Pump price of fuel, bites harder on Sapele residents resulting in increase of transportation and others.

Motorist and private car owners groans as pump price of fuel sells for N400 to N450 per litre resulting in astronomical increase in cost of transportation.

Surprisingly however, there are still queues in the filling stations that sell at the aforementioned prices as most filling station are not dispensing the products.

Matrix filling station at Amukpe is the only station selling at N200 per litre and the crowd that gathered there daily as early as 5.00am always block the road, resulting in vehicular and human gridlock every morning till noon.

Akpomiemie Donald, a motorist told newsmen that the situation is biting hard on him as each time he waits to buy fuel from Matrix filling station at Amukpe, he spends 5 to 7 hours and half of the day’s job is gone by the time he comes out. As such, he had to charge Two times the usual fare to make up for the lost time.

Nwanta Ezealle, a private car owner added that with the way things are going, he only make use of his car for very essential movement.

Nwanta said it is even cheaper to make use of public transportation at the high price than to make use of his car for all his movement in this times.

Management of filling stations in town refused to grant interview, saying the government knows what is going on, that they are only at the receiving ends.

Many other residents lament the turn of the tide to the worst as its multiplier effect is going round every other things such as food items, cost of running business, maintaining the home and others.

The other day, a young man (Bachelor) bought cooked food at Remus restaurant at Ugbeyiyi junction and was going home with it on a bike when another bike rode to them and snatched the bag of cooked food from the young man and drove away.

The rate of petty stealing is also on the increase in town, probably as a result of the current hardship.

Delta News Bulletin