By Olaitan Oye- Adeitan
Time it was when Coronavirus was ravaging violently and it appears as if there would be no end. Then, nose masks became a significant part of dressing, coming in all shades and styles. Sellers made huge profits, selling a piece of nose mask for five hundred naira in the very outbreak of the virus.
Time it was when you could not gain entrance into shopping malls, business organizations, churches, mosques, classrooms, and any public gathering without having your nose masks on, hands washed, sanitized and body temperature checked.
Where are the nose masks today?
Time it was when the naira became a scarce commodity and naira was used to purchase naira. Oh! what a field day it was for Point of Sale operators, POS.
Individuals couldn’t access the money in their bank accounts due to a sudden naira redesign policy from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, by its former governor, Godwin Emefiele under the immediate past administration of former president, Muhammadu Buhari.
It was like putting corn in a corked glass bottle while a fowl watched helplessly.
Indeed, time it was when obtaining a tally number was the prerequisite to gain access to the banking hall or ATM machines before you could withdraw.
Time it was again when you found yourself on the queue for fuel, cash, or the Permanent Voter Card, PVC.
Time it was, when people kept vigil in either bank areas or filling stations without the assurance of getting cash or fuel.
What about daily complaints of dispensing errors, debit errors, and uncontrollable crowds that besieged the banks daily accompanied by an outrage of anger?
And once was the time when business transactions were majorly online due to the scarcity of physical cash. What a time for market traders who did not have bank accounts!
After much resistance to the reality on ground, traders could not but open accounts online or use their family members account for transactions. It was really a time of season dramas in the markets, especially with those selling perishable food items.
Mr. Network could Indeed not be hurriedly forgotten at those times as it did not make itself available all the time while you just have to target some hours to transact, especially early in the morning or late at night when there would be less traffic.
Nigerians would never forget in a hurry the unwarranted rivalry that arose between the old and new naira notes as a result of policies from the CBN.
Suddenly, the once admired, easy to get and spend old 200, 500 and 1000 naira notes became an old stuff that is never wanted by bank customers. It was so much detested that people rejected the old notes even when given as gifts in any of the denominations for fear of rejection in the market.
The moment a customer tenders the old note to purchase any product, traders or commercial drivers vehemently resisted it as if it was an excreta.
Today, it almost appears unbelievable that the ATMs are now dispensing with no appearance of the usual queue.
The once rejected old and new naira notes have now fallen back in love in the hands of the people.
POS operators are back in their kiosks charging a hundred naira over five thousand as against the previous one thousand naira over five thousand naira.
Also, the queues are no more in the filling stations despite the increase in fuel pump price.
In all of these experiences, it tells us that absolutely nothing or no situation lasts forever.
Similarly, “every seasonal situation can bring with them lessons that can last a lifetime” says,Mandy Hale.
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