By Saheed Ibrahim
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The cashless policy of the Federal Government has continued to take a toll on citizens across the country, including students.
The redesign policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and insistence on the use of only new naira notes have denied millions of Nigerians access to cash.
In Lagos, some students were reported to have paid for transport and other services with foodstuffs they took from home.
Ridwan, a student of Government Technical College in Odomola, Epe, who studies Plumbing and Pipefitting, said he had to pay for his fare with rice while returning to school.
The teenager explained that commercial drivers got furious at him when he could not provide cash but eased after he offered them food.
“As I was leaving in the morning, I could not get cash from the ATM or PoS, so I used the only cash with me to get to Chevron bus stop.
“It was rice that helped me get to school. The price from Chevron to Ajah is N300 but I gave the bus driver one derica of rice.
“Ajah to Epe is N1,00 I paid with another one derica. When I got to Epe, I explained to the okada man that I didn’t have cash but had food.
“He took me to my area near Landlord Association road and I gave him one derica instead of paying N300. That’s how my three derica finished,” he lamented.
His schoolmate, Tunde, who studies Garment Making, revealed he used a loaf of bread in exchange for transport on Sunday, saying other colleagues do the same in recent times.
“No cash and we cannot withdraw for some weeks now. The foodstuff we take from home is small but we don’t have a choice other than use it to find our way.
“If you’re not ready to drop something, no car, bus, okada, or even keke will carry you except the ones that decide to assist because we are students,” he said.
Last week, the Supreme Court nullified the enforcement of new notes, extending the validity of the old N200, N500, and N1,000 till December 31.
Though the CBN was directed to release the new notes immediately, they are yet to circulate as expected. Only a few banks and Automated Teller Machines, ATMs, have adequate cash.
