Market women in Warri and environs took to the streets to protest the prolonged scarcity of cash, which has according to them has crippled their business. The women laid siege to the busy Warri-Sapele road and the NPA expressway, bring traffic and commercial activities to a halt. The women joined by other residents also stormed the premises of the Union Bank and UBA as they demanded to get their money. They called on the government and the Central Bank of Nigeria to scrap the naira swap deadline and allow the old notes to remain legal tender until there was enough new notes to go round. The women also decried the CBN cashless policy, which according to them does not help their business. “Our children are hungry, we cannot sell, we cannot do transfer, we cannot withdraw our money. I stayed in shop throughout yesterday and sold nothing. People who want to buy things tried to transfer money but could not,” one the women said.
Meanwhile in Oyo State angry protesters have vandalised a branch of Wema Bank and besiege the government secretariat as they vent their anger over the scarcity of the old and new notes.
