Blessing Amarachi Azoribe, PBA Journalism Mentee
By Blessing Amarachi Azoribe
Amid the worsening crisis created by the scarcity of new naira notes across the country, Students Union Government (SUG) of the University of Nigeria Nsukka, has ordered slash of charges by Point of Sale (POS) operators within the institution.
The student body in a memo dated 6th February 2023 directed to POS operators and students within the campus stipulated new lesser charges for cash withdrawal services.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe memo signed by the UNN SUG President, Comrade Abuchi Micheal, Secretary General, Okoro Chibuzo Santos, and the Director of Welfare, Odi Lucky, mandated the POS agents to accept the new approved charges pending when the situation stabilizes.
The student body claimed that the POS operators indiscriminately increased their service charges which have become unbearable to students, as a result of the hardship caused by poor currency circulation across the country currently.
Scarcity of the new N1,000, N500, and N200 naira notes and the deadline for phasing out the old ones has led to long queues in the banks, making many people resort to patronizing POS operators, who in turn increased their charges.
The new charges stipulated by the UNN SUg are: N500 – N50; N1,000 – N100; N2,000 – N150′ N5,000 – N300;
N10,000 – N500; N20,000 – N1,000.
READ ALSO: Naira Scarcity: Banks, POS Operators, Restaurants, UNN Students On Collision Course
The SUG warned that any POS attendant who refuses to follow the stipulated prices should kindly leave the school premises as failure to adhere to the directive will attract sanction.
Prior to this order, POS operators within the campus collected as high as N2,000 for N10,000 withdrawal through. Sich is the case in other parts of the country.
POS operators equally complained of stress and other hurdles they pass through to be able to get cash for their customers. some allege that bank officials subject them to offer kickbacks for the to get cash.
