Biodun Oyebanji, the governor of Ekiti state, has threatened to arrest traders who refuse to accept old N500 and N1000 notes.
In a statement issued on Saturday and signed by his Special Adviser on Media, Yinka Oyebode, the governor stated that it was illegal for any business owner or service provider to refuse the old notes, adding that the “government will not hesitate to arrest and prosecute business owners found rejecting the old naira notes”.
The governor also urged all businesses in Ekiti State to obey the law and accept old naira notes.
He also urged banks “to make the naira notes available in all their branches and pay points and to all traders, business owners, service providers, okada riders, drivers, filling stations, gas plants, supermarkets, schools, hospitals, POS operators, to start accepting the old notes forthwith.
To do otherwise would amount to defying the ruling of the highest court in the country and thwarting government efforts at reducing the hardship of the people.
“The state government had joined other states to seek the intervention of the Supreme Court in reversing the new naira policy which the states averred had inflicted excruciating pain and hardship on the people in addition to crippling economic activities.”
The order by the state government is coming days after Supreme court ruled that country’s old notes should remain legal tender till December 31, 2023.