In the face of social unrest that has sprung up in some states over the lingering and worsening naira scarcity, the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) has called for calm from Nigerians as it explained that banks are currently dealing with unintended consequences of policy.
The appeal was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by Akin Morakinyo, the Registrar/Chief Executive of the CIBN.
Morakinyo shared in Nigerians’ excruciating hardship in accessing the new naira series as he urged bankers to go about their duties with professionalism and diligence. He added:
“We sincerely empathise with the banking public on the difficulties encountered in accessing the new naira notes which heightened tension and in some cases, provoked acts of violence at different customer touchpoints.”
“Relevant stakeholders within the ecosystem are being engaged with a view to addressing the unintended consequences of the laudable naira Redesign Policy. To this end, we beseech the general public to eschew any act capable of exacerbating the current situation.
“We also beseech them to exercise restraint while we enjoin all our members to carry on their duties with utmost professionalism and diligence.
“The CIBN, the umbrella professional body for banks and bankers is confident that this phase will pass with the cooperation of all and sundry, and our country Nigeria will come out of this stronger.”
