Advertisement

profile/7500clementmtn.jpg
Cokhale

Today Game Sure Win
~0.1 mins read
Please appreciate after you win today game by sending airtime to this number+238054239133, +2347068899164
Or 
Momo Payment to
7068899164
Clement okhale 
profile/7214IMG-20210130-WA0004_1.png
Pokovirtuousblog

Music Lovers Drop Five-star Ratings For Fresh Khally's 'Don Jazzy', Says 'Super Good'
~0.8 mins read
Music Lovers Drop Five-star Ratings For Fresh Khally's 'Don Jazzy', Says 'Super Good'

He had shared a video of himself singing the song, hence the comments, Pokovirtuousblog can confirm.

Taking to his Instagram handle a couple days ago, promising Nigerian Singer, Fresh Khally, shared a short video in which he could be seen dancing, vibing to his latest musical piece, 'Don Jazzy', even as he invited fans to stream it.

"Me intentionally disturbing the city and everybody with my new single. #Donjazzy
Thank you @sammielordofficial for listening and vibing too❤️.

"I hope and I believe in miracles
I Need a collabo with @donjazzy 🏆
Everything is possible no Dey doubt me famz

Links on bio ✨🎵🏆🚀
#newtrend #newsound #neusic #vibes on #vibes."

Our reporter learnt that a slew of his fans have since taken to the comments to drop sweet words.

Officialmcwill, 'Super good 🔥.'; _obatrekking, '🔥🔥🔥.', among others.

profile/7214IMG-20210130-WA0004_1.png
Pokovirtuousblog

More Nigerians Speak On The Musical Prowess Of Raymmond, Says 'Amazing'
~0.4 mins read
More Nigerians Speak On The Musical Prowess Of Raymmond, Says 'Amazing'

They made the statement in the comments of his post, Pokovirtuousblog has learnt.

Taking to his Instagram handle 3 days ago, 'Ride or Die' crooner, Raymmond, shared several cute outdoor photographs, even as he added a lovely caption.

"I give you love but u nor de see🥰
🎥 @oscartheenchanter_."

Our reporter learnt that a plethora of his fans have since taken to the comments to hail him.

Official_bhadip, 'Amazing ❤️.'; Iam_poundz_boy, '🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥.', among others.
profile/3817image3A142450.webp
ThePinkBrainNews

“Top-class” Leeds Player Could Miss Rotherham In New Injury Blow For Farke
~0.3 mins read
Leeds United look to have been hit with a frustrating injury blow as they prepare for their trip to face Rotherham United on Friday evening, as reported by Phil Hay.
 
On Friday, Leeds make the short trip to South Yorkshire to face Rotherham United at the AESSEAL New York Stadium as Daniel Farke looks to continue his side's positive form in the Championship.


Read more here
profile/9802llo_20230401_103510.png.webp
Lele
Senate Threatens To Jail NNPCL CEO, Others Over ₦‎12tr Turnaround Maintenance - Politics
~1.5 mins read
The Senate on Wednesday threatened to recommend the sack and possible jailing of the Group Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, and heads of government agencies in the oil sector over the Turnaround Maintenance on which N12 trillion has been spent without tangible results.

The upper chamber specifically threatened to sack heads of agencies directly involved in the Turnaround Maintenance (TAM) projects of Nigerian refineries.

It also revealed that it has records of over $592 million, €4.8 million and £3.4 million spent between 2010 to date on the TAM, yet none of the refineries has refined a drop of oil.

The Senate Ad-hoc Committee investigating the various Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) projects of Nigerian Refineries, issued the threat during an interactive session with NNPCL management and other executives of the oil sector.

Some of the agencies invited whose chief executive officers failed to show up, but sent representatives, include: Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and their subsidiaries.

The Chairman of the Ad-hoc committee, Senator Isa Jibrin (Kogi East), noted that so much has been heard on the turnaround, and so much has been spent on operational materials on the refineries without results.

He said, “We will ask for refund and dismissal of all the chief executives involved in the Turn Around Maintenance.”

Senator Jibrin said that for weeks, they have been asking for documents, which have not been given by the oil companies, a development that created suspicions.

Jibrin said, “We sent them an invitation more than two weeks ago requesting for documents and the documents have not been released after two weeks. So, we want the chief executives to be present.

“More worrisome is that between 2010 and 2020, the sum of N4.8 trillion was said to have been spent as operational expenses. How do you incur operational expenses that have to do with purchase of raw materials and similar expenses on factories that are moribund? How do we come about operational expenses? We need to know.
profile/9802llo_20230401_103510.png.webp
Lele

Fresh Naira Scarcity Hits Kano, Sokoto, Edo, Others - Business
~8.5 mins read


Fresh Naira Scarcity Hits Kano, Sokoto, Edo, 
Fresh Naira scarcity hits Kano, Sokoto, Edo, others
23rd November 2023



Despite recent assurances by the Central Bank of Nigeria that there is enough naira in circulation, reports of scarcity have emerged across the country.

A survey by The PUNCH, on Wednesday, confirmed scarcity in some parts of Abuja, Lagos, Kano, Kwara, Gombe, Edo, Sokoto, and Ekiti States. Many bank customers and Point of Sales operators, who spoke to The PUNCH, lamented that it is becoming a challenge to access cash for their economic activities.

This is coming weeks after the apex bank affirmed that it has enough currency notes in the market and hence no need for panic withdrawals by members of the public.

In a circular titled ‘All Banknotes Issued by the CBN Remain Legal Tender,’ signed by Director, Corporate Communications, Isa AbdulMumin, the bank stated that it was aware of reported scarcity of cash across some major cities. It noted that there have also been concerns among some members of the public over the legality of old naira notes.

So This Happened (221) Reviews Recent Naira Fall, Tuition...
The bank said, “For the avoidance of doubt, while reiterating that there are sufficient banknotes across the country for all normal economic activity, we wish to state unambiguously that every banknote issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) remains legal tender and should not be rejected by anyone, as stipulated in Section 20(5) of the CBN Act, 2007.”

It cautioned members of the public to avoid panic withdrawals and stressed that it has enough currency notes to facilitate normal economic activities.

The concern from members of the public over the legality of old naira notes is connected to issues surrounding the naira redesign policy of the apex bank.


In October 2022, the former CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, announced a plan to redesign some naira denominations (N200, N500, and N1000 notes) and reduce currency circulation. He also stated that the old versions of the redesigned notes will lose their legal status by January 31, 2023.

The plan was met with resistance and state governments dragged the apex bank to the Supreme Court on February 3, requesting for an extension of the deadline. By March 2023, the apex court invalidated the new naira design policy and extended the validity of the notes until December 2023.

Recently, the CBN announced plans to extend the validity of the old N200, N500, and N1,000 notes indefinitely. The bank noted that it was working with relevant authorities to vacate the subsisting court ruling on the same subject. A recent report in local media confirmed that the CBN has filed an application before the Supreme Court seeking an extension for old naira notes to remain in circulation.

According to a report from the CBN, the currency in circulation increased by 3.75 per cent to N2.76tn in September 2023.

Naira scarcity resurfaces in Lagos

However, cash scarcity, a major downside of the CBN’s naira redesign policy, has begun to resurface. Visits to some banks on Wednesday revealed scanty banking halls and ATM galleries.

A customer, who gave his name as Ganiyu Tunde, at the Union Bank branch along Oshodi Expressway in Lagos claimed that banks were only dispensing N5,000 via ATMs to non-customers.

Bank customers of Union Bank were, however, able to get up to N20,000 at the ATM and inside the bank. The rows of ATMs at an Access Bank branch nearby were empty because there was no cash in them as of the time of filing this report. A banker who spoke to The PUNCH on the condition of anonymity blamed the cash scarcity on weak supply from the CBN.

The banker said, “It is the CBN that is responsible for this cash scarcity. We are not getting enough from them. They are just causing unnecessary suffering for the masses.”

A bank teller who works with Guaranty Trust Bank Plc in their Palmgrove Branch, Lagos, affirmed to The PUNCH that customers are not allowed to withdraw more than N20,000.00 across the counter. According to the teller, the bank was experiencing a shortage of cash.

The PUNCH noticed that not all banks are experiencing shortages of cash. For instance, Union Bank’s Isolo branch showed no signs of scarcity. A staff member, who only gave her name as Ope, said, “You can withdraw money if you want. I have heard something like that, but we are dispensing funds.”

At Access Bank Oshodi branch, customers were observed withdrawing cash from ATMs outside the banking hall, with a bank staff member adding, “There is cash. Everybody is withdrawing.”

Scarcity hits Abuja, Kano, Kwara, Sokoto, Ekiti

A respondent in the Federal Capital Territory, Festus Okoromadu, was concerned that he could not withdraw at the First Bank branches in his area.


He said, “What I was told was that the bank’s network was temporarily unavailable, which made the transaction impossible. This has been the case at some of the banks in the FCT in recent times, withdrawing money is becoming more challenging.”

In Kano, some commercial banks were not honouring withdrawal requests from customers, and ATM galleries were dry when The PUNCH visited. Our investigation further showed that the few banks that were paying customers did not give beyond certain amounts.

A customer who simply gave his name as Hayatudeen said, “Many banks lack money to give to customers and when you inquire, they will not give you any satisfactory explanation as to why.”

He noted that the story is the same with POS operators because they are also complaining of scarcity. He added, “Even though most of the POS operators are getting their money from traders and other business operators, they still complain of the scarcity.”

He further alleged that many POS operators have increased their charges by about 50 per cent.


In Kwara, banks are rationing cash to their customers. The PUNCH gathered that some commercial banks are not allowing customers to withdraw more than N20,000 daily from their accounts.

Customers of Zenith Bank have it differently, they are still allowed to make daily withdrawals of up to N500,000. Further investigations revealed that this scarcity started three weeks ago and customers of UBA, GTB, First Bank, Union Bank, and others are the worst hit.

This scarcity also extends to customers who want to withdraw at ATMs, as they are not allowed to withdraw more than N20,000 daily from one account. Some of the bankers who spoke to The PUNCH noted that customers are no longer bringing in a lot of cash to save in their accounts leading to the shortage of cash.

One banker said, “Banks do not have enough cash to pay out to customers because people are not bringing money to the bank.

“We only ration the available money among the customers. Anyone that comes to withdraw is paid N20,000 but few highly placed customers are given N50,000 when they come to withdraw.”

In Ekiti State, an official at the Union Bank branch, Okesa Ado Ekiti, revealed that the branch was unable to meet the specific withdrawal demand of its customers because “there is no sufficient cash for now. We give what we can afford to ensure it goes around.”

A bank customer of one of the First Bank branches in the capital city, who only identified herself as Tope, lamented, “I do not know exactly what the problem is, but no customer was able to get more than N10,000 – N20,000 in the bank hall. I learnt it was the same story at their ATMs in the bank.”

At the ATM points of Wema Bank, Okesa area, bank customers with Wema Bank ATM cards could withdraw N20,000. Customers with ATM cards from other banks could only withdraw N10,000.

In Sokoto State, a resident, Kabiru Nura, told The PUNCH, “Even though the issue is becoming more relaxed the scarcity is still very much with us. The funniest part is at ATMs, you hardly get cash at ATMs these days. The last time this happened was during the naira redesign policy, and this should really be a thing of the past now.”


Edo, Gombe PoS operators bemoan naira scarcity

Point of Sale operators in Gombe State are worried about the resurging naira scarcity in the state. Adamu Salisu, who operates a stand in the Bagadaza area of the state, said, “All of a sudden, we cannot get free access to lump sum of cash. I and some of my colleagues now rely on traders in the market who get some cash from transactions to remain in business.”

Also speaking, Sandra James, a resident in the state, continued, “Many people prefer to do transfer through phone as just a few have access to funds. It is sad.”

Another PoS operator, Mohammed Rafi, added, “We are going through so much stress to get money to give customers, but customers are complaining because we have increased our charges as we had previously done during the early part of the year.”

In Edo, POS operators, store owners, and bank customers lamented their inability to get cash to The PUNCH.

A POS operator, who only gave her name as Faith, declared that cash is scarce in Benin as banks now ration the amount that can be withdrawn at the ATMs.

She said, “I noticed that the scarcity of cash began late last week. You can only get N20,000 from your bank’s ATM and those who come with other banks’ ATM cards may get N10,000. They also refuse to pay across the counter while you can get N10,000 if you are lucky.

“I also observed that the money they put in the ATM is not always enough and they (bankers) also come out to withdraw most of the cash. They (bankers) also do deals with big-time PoS operators, so it has been difficult for small-time operators to do business.

“What I do now is to get cash from a friend who sells on Lagos Street.”

A trader, Grace, who runs a shop on Sapele Road, added, “I have noticed that cash is in short supply and most people who buy from me either transfer or pay through my PoS. However, it has not affected business, which is a good omen.

We are unaware of scarcity — Bank customers association

According to the President of the Bank Customers Association of Nigeria, Dr Uju Ogunbunka, members have reported any such issues with cash withdrawals.

He said, “This news surfaced a few weeks ago, and some of the banks I visited gave out cash to their customers. If there is a limitation at all, then it means something is driving it. But I see no reason because there is no issue regarding whether it’s new notes or old notes; that problem has already been resolved. But if anything is driving this report, I think we need to find out.

“Maybe they want to encourage online banking and things like that. But I don’t think there is anything like a cash squeeze now. I will try to visit some banks and see for myself. The information I have now doesn’t suggest anything like a cash squeeze.”


The National President of the Association of Mobile Money and Bank Agents in Nigeria, Victor Olojo, added that more needs to be done in terms of increasing alternatives to cash.

He told The PUNCH, “The CBN hardly has control of the whole cash issues, and they need to be very clear on if it is the old currency we are using or the new, they are the custodian of our currencies. However, we as a country are on a good trajectory. In terms of raising other channels of payments, more needs to be done.”


Loading...