We all saw it coming, the day of apocalypse. It was the day of Armageddon foretold, that indeed came to pass. The ominous signs were evident in the past two weeks; grumbling, long faces and short fused tempers, even amongst friendly colleagues and neighbours became the order of the day. It was obvious that in Lagos (a city known for its volatility), we were sitting on a keg of gunpowder and it was just a matter of time and a little additional pressure on the trigger for the day of reckoning to visit us.
At last, the judgment day arrived, first at Udu, near Warri in Delta State on Wednesday 15th February, 2023. Thereafter, hunger and anger acted in concert on Friday 17th February 2023 -to put much of the metropolitan city of Lagos on the precipice of disaster, by way of a complete breakdown of law and order. The buildup was gradual but steady. It all started about a month ago when Lagosians began to come to terms with the prevailing abject dearth of the redesigned currencies, even as the old currencies were gradually going out of circulation. Commercial Banks literally threw their hands up in the air in complete resignation to fate in the wake of the crowd that thronged their offices daily in search of the new currency. There were pockets of mild drama skits in some banking Halls in Lagos but on the whole, nothing untoward happened.
After the early morning broadcast by President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday 16th February, wherein he reiterated the position of the CBN on the old Notes ceasing to be legal tender (though with a palliative, as he announced that the old N200 will be allowed to circulate with the new Notes for a period of 60days), things took a turn for the worse in Lagos later that day. It was as if Lagos residents had eaten soup grape, all of a sudden people became edgy, jittery and anxious. Old Notes became a taboo. The last grasp efforts of Governor Sanwo Olu of Lagos state to assuage frayed nerves by threatening to deal with anyone who refused to accept the old Notes did little or nothing to sooth the pervading palpable anxiety. Things came to a head in the morning of Friday 17th February 2023, when commuters arrived at their Bus Stops to be confronted by Bus Drivers who refused to accept the old Notes. People were stranded at various Bus Stops. As if that was not enough, Agege Bread hawkers and sellers of other Daily Need food items started rejecting the old Notes. Neither the Banks nor the POS operators at the street corners had the New Notes to dispense. So, the stage was set.
The first salvo was fired at Ojota as demonstrators blocked the Express Ways leading to Maryland and to the Old Toll Gate. Almost immediately riots erupted at Oshodi and Mile 12. Agric Area of Ikorodu caught the protest bug, Ikotun followed and then the roads around Ajah area went up in flames as protesters burnt used tyres on the roads. Soldiers were drafted to Ojota to clear the roads leading to mild skirmishes between the protesters and soldiers. To the glory of God, no loss of life was recorded. Indeed, the day was very eventful but there were no fatalities.
