Fuel, Naira Swap: Protest rocks Ondo as commercial banks close shop

Some residents of Ore in Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State on Tuesday staged a peaceful protest along the Ore-Benin expressway to register their displeasure over the scarcity of naira notes and fuel ravaging the nation.

The currency crisis took a new twist, as some commercial banks in Akure, the state capital, shut down their operations over possible protest and mob attacks from frustrated customers.

It was observed that as at 8:30am Tuesday, some of the commercial banks around Alagbaka, Akure were yet to open for operation as bank customers who were on long queues were shut out.

Meanwhile, the Ore protest, which caused gridlock in the commercial hub centre of the state, resulted in travellers plying the route getting stranded for hours before the intervention of security agencies.

One of the protesters, Prince Adebayo Adeyemi, said the recent hardship ravaging the country is quite alarming.

According to Adeyemi, for the past few weeks, residents of the town have suffered from the pain of naira scarcity, adding that the crisis might worsen if there is no significant improvement in the supply of the new currency nationwide as the February 10 deadline to phase out the old notes draws closer.

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Also another protester, Bayo Oke, said Nigerians can no longer cope with the hardship ravaging the country, describing it as quite alarming.

“We are protesting to send a message to the government, that we the masses are suffering.