Kano traders, okada riders defy Ganduje’s order on old notes

There was confusion in Kano on Wednesday as traders and commercial tricycle operators rejected the old naira notes in defiance of Governor Abdullahi Ganduje’s earlier threat.

Recall that the Kano State Government had, on Tuesday, warned that it would not hesitate to revoke the operational licences of major business owners or take action on anyone who refuses to accept the old naira notes as a means of transaction.

A cross-section of tricycle operators, who spoke to The PUNCH on the situation, said their decision to reject the old notes was because commercial banks in the city had also stopped accepting the old notes.

One of the commercial tricycle operators, who gave his name as Lawan, said he stopped collecting the old notes from passengers because he was not sure whether his boss (owner of the tricycle) would accept the same after work hours.

Advertisement

“I give a daily balance of N2,500 to my boss. So, with the uncertainty surrounding the old naira notes, one has to be careful in accepting them,” he said.

Another operator, who did not want his name in print, told The PUNCH that he stopped accepting the old naira notes on Tuesday because most of the passengers that boarded his tricycle rejected the old notes when he wanted to give them the same.

Following the new development, many commuters who do not have the lower currency denomination, N100 down to N20, resorted to trekking.

“Once you board a tricycle, the operator will ask you if you have changed otherwise, he will not carry you,” a stranded passenger at Kwanar Maggi junction told our reporter.

He said it has now become mandatory for commuters to have the lower denomination of the naira before boarding the machine.

“If you must board Adaidaita (tricycle), you must have the lower denomination because they are not affected by the redesign,” he said.

The story is the same with traders in the ancient city as many of them have also stopped accepting the old notes as a result of the uncertainty surrounding the issue of the old notes.