Ogun State residents kept this year’s Easter celebrations low-key.
The growth is not unrelated to the cashless policy, which has stretched citizens.
The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, received President Muhammadu Buhari’s approval to implement the policy in order to strengthen the economy, lower inflation, and reduce vote buying during the recently concluded general elections.
However, for Nigerians who were affected by the widely condemned decision, the policy exacerbated their suffering and made them poorer.
Nigerians suffered greatly until March 13, when the CBN met with the Bankers’ Committee and directed that the old N200, N500, and N1000 banknotes should remain legal tender alongside the redesigned banknotes until December 31, 2023.
This had an impact on the Easter celebration, as many people stayed at home.
Prospective buyers in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State, had low purchasing power.
Traders, unlike in the past, were disappointed with the level of patronage.
“The market traders have been hit the hardest; we have lost all of our customers to stores and malls.” Most of us do not accept credit cards or wire transfers. Buyers who couldn’t get cash would rather go to those stores and pay with their credit cards.
“So, this Easter is different for us in terms of buying and selling,” Mrs Joy Alaba told a DAILY POST correspondent in Lafenwa, Abeokuta.
It has been observed that there are not as many passengers as there used to be during the Easter period in motorparks throughout the city.
A driver identified only as Kamor revealed that some people no longer travel because they lack access to cash.
According to Kamor, some people come to parks to see if they can pay their fares by transfer.
“Because many of our drivers do not have bank accounts, they cannot accept transfers from passengers.” Because of this cashless policy, most people are not traveling for Easter.
“As you can see, everything is completely dry. Since the implementation of the Emefiele policy, people have learned to stay at home. As a result, there is no typical Easter rush in the parking lots. Our people would have raised the fares by now, but I don’t see it happening this year,” he said.
Bukola Ajeigbe, a lady, accused the CBN and Buhari of “intentionally inflicting hardship on Nigerians through the cashless policy,” which she claimed had further impoverished Nigerians.
Ajeigbe bemoaned the loss of many people’s sources of income as a result of the cashless policy, claiming that the aftermath is why there is no indication of an Easter celebration going on at the moment.
However, she stated that Jesus has risen and that Nigerians should strive to rise above whatever the current administration has thrown them into.
“Nigeria will rise again,” she said, reassuring the hopeless.
Meanwhile, as Nigerians await the formation of a new government on May 29, 2023, President-elect Bola Tinubu has urged Nigerians not to lose hope in the country and to be patriotic.
“We will make faster progress toward the achievement of the peaceful, united, strong, progressive, and prosperous country we all desire if we eschew divisive, parochial, ethnic, and religious sentiments and rivalries, and begin to live more harmoniously with our compatriots,” Tinubu said in his Easter message.
“Easter is about Redemption and Renewed Hope.” It represents the triumph of optimism over cynicism, love over hatred and condemnation, and hope over despair. Let us embrace this spirit and renew our commitment to edifying and patriotic endeavors in the service of our country.”
