I needed to buy a few things from the market. Before I even entered the market, I heard from a bike man that people are rejecting the old naira. At that point, I advised myself that I won't take old notes. However, all the PoS seemed not to have the new notes, so I decided to take just 2k tentatively to be sure I could spend old money today.

The first lady seller said she won't collect old money even before being sure what I wanted to buy. The second lady I went to actually gave me the what I needed but when i gave her the money, she rejected it, so I moved on. Her neighbor told her to collect and she called me back and gave me the article.

At the beverage shop, the boy there first announced they don't accept old money. I asked if they have a PoS machine and he answered in the affirmative. I was just rounding off when his boss came in. His boy told him I needed to pay with the machine and the man actually asked me to pay 100 naira charge for cashless payment which I declined. I told him I won't pay a fee on my bank card for buying things. He changed his mind and charged me the exact value I bought.

It was at the shop that I realized that even the balance I was given by the first lady was new notes. Seems I couldn't differentiate between the old 200 and the new one. I bought two more articles with the old money and made sure I had just 400 naira of the new note as I left the market. To round off my shopping, I went to a supermarket near the market and bought other things I need in the coming days. Paid with my bank card.

On my way home, it occurred to me that what this Buhari government seems adept at is causing a problem where none previously existed. I remembered how the once peaceful Southeast has been made a crisis zone by this government because they're just adept at creating problems where none existed.


Why is currency swap so difficult if not that we mostly have a government that never think through issues and never operates based on competence? How are we even sure that if they're bent on stopping Tinubu from vote buying that they'll also make sure that Atiku doesn't have access to looted cash to do what they're preventing Tinubu from doing? What we need is a level playing field and that's why I'm rooting for Peter Obi.

All Nigeria leaders are useless