Students in particular continue to suffer as a result of the Federal Government’s contentious cashless system.
Since January, the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has starved millions of dollars due to its redesign policy and insistence on using only brand-new naira notes.
The Supreme Court invalidated the enforcement of new notes last week, prolonging the expiration date of the existing N200, N500, and N1,000 notes until that date.
President Muhammadu Buhari’s action, according to the supreme court, was not only not permitted by democracy but also violated the Constitution and the rights of the people.
The new notes have not yet started to circulate as anticipated, despite instructions to the CBN to release them immediately. Only a small number of ATMs and banks have enough cash on hand.
Some students in Lagos claim they have used food they stole from home to pay for transportation and other services.
Two students from the Government Technical College in Odomola, Epe, spoke to the Daily Post on Tuesday to describe their experience.
Ridwan, a student of plumbing and pipefitting, claimed that when he returned to school on Monday, he had to pay for his fee with rice.
The teen told how the bus drivers originally became angry when he could not provide cash but then became understanding after he supplied food.
“I used the only cash I had on me to go to the Chevron bus stop because I couldn’t get cash from the ATM or PoS before I left in the morning.
“Rice made it easier for me to get to school. While it costs N300 to travel from Chevron to Ajah, I handed the bus driver one derica of rice.
“N1,000 from Ajah to Epe…
I used another derica to pay. I told the okada man in Epe that I didn’t have cash but that I did have food when I arrived there.
“He drove me to my neighborhood near Landlord Association Road, where I offered him one derica in lieu of N300. My three derica ended up that that, he lamented.
Tunde, a student of garment making, acknowledged using a loaf of bread as payment for transportation on Sunday and said that other classmates have recently done the same.
“No cash, and we haven’t been able to withdraw for a few weeks. We must use the meager food we bring from home to navigate because we have no other option.
No car, bus, okada, or even keke will carry you if you’re not prepared to drop anything, he warned. Only those who choose to help will do so because we are students.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has meantime requested information from President Buhari about how his administration is adhering to the court order.
Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, SAN, responded to the decision by saying the Supreme Court showed bravery and saved Nigerians from “the miseries of death, frustration, and oncoming economic recession.”