‘We Now Trek From One Village To Another,’ Rural Dwellers In Adamawa, Kaduna Lament Naira Scarcity

Rural dwellers in Kaduna and Adamawa States are returning to the age of trade by barter and trekking as a result of the hardship caused by the naira redesign policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Last year October, the apex bank said it would withdraw the N1000, N500 and N200 notes and replace them with new notes.

The government intends to promote a cashless society and curb vote buying in the February 25, 2023 elections.

But the poor implementation of the policy has degenerated into litigation.

The bank has withdrawn N1.9trn and printed only N300bn of the new notes which made cash scarce in the country.

The Supreme Court had ordered the apex bank to suspend the February 10 deadline to withdraw the old notes.

Beyond the impact of the policy on businesses, the health and education of rural dwellers is being threatened.

Ribang, a village in kauru LGA, Southern part of Kaduna State has been described by Simon Ishaku, a spokesperson of the community as “hell on earth.”

Ishaku is one of the villagers hit by the scarcity of naira resulting from the policy.

Ishaku told THE WHISTLER that members of the community have resorted to trade by barter as they now exchange grains for what they need.

Ishaku said, “Life has been hell on earth. I couldn’t go to work because there was no cash for me to transport myself. It has got to a point where we have begun to do trade by barter in the village.

“Some people exchange grains for what they need. That is how bad it has gotten. The issue is that so many people in Ribang do not even accept transfers.”

Residents in the village now find it difficult to transport themselves to the nearest town, Damakasuwa , for medical treatment.

Ribang is about 7Km from Damakasuwa, in Kauru LGA and that is the only town with a hospital, Simon lamented.

Simon said, “Life here is seriously sympathetic. Even if someone is sick, taking the person to the closest town, Damakasuwa, in Kauru LGA, where they can get medication is a big problem. Transportation is a big issue. To even get cash to buy fuel is a problem.

“There are cases where a hospital refused to treat some of the patients from my village because they do not accept transfers and the patients do not even have the cash to pay for the treatment.”

He said the unbanked aged people in the community are the worse hit as they can no longer cater for their basic needs.

“The old people don’t even see N100 to buy the things they need. These old people depend on cash and now they no longer receive the stipends their children or grandchildren usually send to them in form of cash. Some of the old people see it as though all hope is lost,” he added.

In Galbi, a village in Hong LGA of Adamawa State, dwellers are suffering a similar fate.

Mrs Susan, a teacher who travels to Hong daily to teach in a public school said she now skips some days due to the cash scarcity.

She said most POS operators in the villages do not have the cash to dispense, while those who have cash reject transfers.

Susan said life has not been easy for people living in the village.

The teacher said, “To get cash is not a joke. Most shops have closed. The shops whose owners have bank accounts are selling and some of them still reject transfers.

“I teach at Hong but I have skipped classes since the naira scarcity became worse. It is not good for the students. Even seeking medication is difficult. Some of the chemists close to the village do not accept transfers. People now trek when they do not have the cash to transport themselves.”