“Any bank that refuses to accept old five hundred and one thousand Naira notes will be destroyed.”

Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has issued a stern warning to commercial banks operating in the state, threatening to destroy any bank that refuses to accept the old N500 and N1,000 notes.

The governor gave the word of caution on Friday during his inspection of palliatives meant for distribution to the citizens to cushion the effects of the hardship caused by the cashless policy.

“Any bank that refuses to accept old five hundred and one thousand Naira notes will be destroyed. We will not tolerate such disobedience from any financial institution operating within our jurisdiction,” he stated.

Governor Ganduje further disclosed that the space of the destroyed banks would be used for building schools, “We will convert the space of the destroyed banks into schools that will provide quality education for our children.”

Governor Ganduje’s spokesperson, Abba Anwar, defended the governor’s statement, stating that the state government has the power to take such measures to protect the interests of the citizens.

Anwar said, “The governor is not making an empty threat. The government has the power to take such measures if it is in the best interest of the people. The governor is determined to ensure that the people of Kano State do not suffer any undue hardship as a result of the cashless policy.”

As at the time of filing this report, none of the commercial banks operating in Kano State has made any official statement regarding the governor’s threat.

In conclusion, the governor’s stance on the issue of accepting old Naira notes has caused a lot of controversies, and it remains to be seen if the commercial banks will yield to his demand or face the consequences of their disobedience.