BBC Pidgin of Thursday, 16 March 2023

Source: BBC

Di pains and gains of naira scarcity - Traders tok how dem dey cope

Di traders tok how dem cope Di traders tok how dem cope

Some traders still dey struggle wit doing dia business sake of despite di reversal of di old naira note policy by di Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

One female trader for di popular Balogun market for Lagos, wey di scarcity of naira notes don affecy say her POS receipts na her cash.

Standing inside her shop, Joke Balogun reveal say pipo wey dey buy tins from her now no dey use cash.

Joke dey sell ankara for one of Lagos biggest markets for south west Nigeria.

She say her costumers dey use POS to make payment or transfer to her account.

Dat na why she get pack of POS receipts inside her bag as evidence of her money.

She say she dey carry di POS receipts everywhere she dey go.

"I no dey collect money again’’ Joke tok.

Joke say di receipts dey help her keep track of her sales and follow up wit di transfers wey neva drop.

For Joke, one of di tins wey dey frustrate her for di transfer issue na di poor network.

Plus di back and forth calls wit costumers to confirm dia transfers.

She say since dis scarcity of cash start for di kontri her sales don drop.

’Since 8:00am I come market I neva sell N1,000.’’ Joke tok.

Di ankara trader blame di drop in sales on scarcity of cash.

For months now, many Nigerians like Joke no get cash to spend.

Di scarcity start afta di kontri Central Bank introduce new bank notes.

CBN introduce new design of 200, 500 and 1000 naira notes to replace di old ones.

Na since den kontri pipo don begin experience long queues for banking halls and cash machines to withdraw money.

Dis don lead to protests for some parts of di kontri.

‘I dey trek for morning I dey trek for night '

But on Monday di apex bank say di old 200, 500 and 1,000 naira banknotes go remain legal tenders until di end of di year.

Dia tok na in line wit Supreme Court judgement of March 3.

For Joke di scarcity of cash no only affect her business badly but di lives of her three children.

''Because of no cash my children no go school''. Joke tok.

One of di single mother of three dey keep her business alive na to trek from her house for Adeniji to Balogun market.

‘’I dey trek for morning I dey trek for night". she tok.

She say di trekking no good for her health sake of say she dey manage hypertension.

She beg President Muhammadu Buhari and di CBN govnor to reduce di suffer- suffer and address di cash mata so dat tins go return back to normal again.

Not too far from wia Joke Ankara shop dey for market na one POS operator wey many of di traders dia dey use.

Unlike Joke, Aisha Alabi say her business dey good but she no get cash.

Bifor now Aisha say she dey make around N4000- N4500 naira daily.

But now wit di scarcity of cash she dey make between N7000 – N8000 naira daily.

Aisha explain further how her business take boom dis period.

''I dey charge more for transfer, for N5000 I dey charge N200 Instead of N100 before''. she tok.

Aisha say once cash begin flow again she go blend wit di system

‘I dey buy cash every day’

For Oluwagbotitemi Olarenwaju, a gift seller she say she dey 'buy cash every day'.

''I dey pay N1500 to get N5000.'' Oluwagbotitemi tok .

She say di reason why she dey buy di cash na so she fit pay transport and buy small tins wey she need.

Di gift seller wey inherit her business from her parents say dis cashless policy don make chook eye more inside her business.

‘’Before I no know how much I dey sell, but now I fit tell you how much I dey sell in a day and a week’’. She add.

Although Oluwagbotitemi don save small money dis period she say cash for hand better pass.