By Favour Ifeoluwa & Akinola Ajibade
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) says the current cash scarcity in Lagos, Abuja, Kaduna and other major cities across the country was caused by hoarders.
Its Acting Director in charge of Corporate Communications, Mrs Hakama Didi, told reporters that some persons are hoarding the Naira due to challenges experienced during the Naira redesign project.
According to her, the apex bank was not only monitoring the situation, but had released sufficient cash to its branches across the country for onward distribution to Deposit Money Banks (DMBs.
She noted that the currency in circulation had increased from N1trilion in February 2023 to over N3.4 Trillion as of December 11, 2023.
This, according to her, indicated that there was sufficient cash in circulation, except that the cash was in the hands of individuals who were apprehensive due to their previous experiences.
She empathized with Nigerians, over their previous and current experiences, but insisted that the CBN had adequate cash to meet the day-to-day transaction needs of Nigerians. She, therefore, appealed to Nigerians to be patient while the CBN does the needful to ensure the availability of cash, particularly during the yuletide and beyond.
While also urging Nigerians to continue to accept all Naira banknotes for their daily transactions, Sidi Ali reiterated the Bank’s earlier call to the public to embrace alternative modes of payment, e-channels, to reduce pressure on the use of
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