In a bid to manage the cash crisis in Edo state, especially Benin city, the state governor Godwin Obaseki had met with officials of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and members of the Association of Mobile Money and Bank Agents of Nigeria (AMMBAN).
The meeting aimed to strategise on how to disburse cash to ease tension and ameliorate the hardship faced by Edo people in accessing redesigned naira notes.
Governor Obaseki, who expressed displeasure over the sad incident, said, “During the electioneering, the practice of the opposition party is to create disaffection and cause trouble in the state. This happened during my reelection campaign in 2020. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is not the one that created the policy, but our focus is on the Edo people. The protest in the state was beyond anger but it was politically motivated.”
“The security agencies are already working hard on arresting those involved in the destruction across some Benin City. There is a lot of footage and those involved will be arrested and prosecuted,” the governor assured.
Obaseki noted that there are more money agents than bank branches in Edo State, urging the AMMBAN members to collaborate with the government and CBN to address the situation, adding:
“The POS operators have a bad reputation, which must be corrected. If you have members charging customers above the normal price for their transactions, there should be an internal mechanism to deal with such issues. You must first regulate yourself and your association before you can help address this shortage of cash issue.”
However, the State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has urged for calm among residents of Edo State, as security operatives have been deployed to protect banking assets in the state to ensure the disbursement of cash to citizens.
The governor made the call while addressing journalists at the Government House in Benin City, on Wednesday, after a closed-door meeting with heads of security agencies in the state.
Obaseki expressed displeasure over the protests in Benin City, the state capital, adding that the state government will do its best to ensure that residents in the state are able to withdraw their cash from the banks in the state.
He noted: “We just concluded our security council meeting over the incident that took place in our city. It’s something we are concerned and very sad about. It is just a culmination of the pains and sufferings expressed by our citizens.
