It seems that no matter how bad things get, people are always quick to adapt and forget how things used to be. And the moment they try to enjoy the moment, despite how bad it is, the government gets in the way and ruins it for everyone.
After a while, it begins to look like all this is a set-up. Because there’ll be a system that works well for everyone. It might not be the best, it might not even be good at the very least. But people have gotten used to it, people have adapted and been able to learn to live with it. So, it’s no longer as bad as it should have been. That’s when things change for us, and the next thing we know, we’re forced into yet another rabbit hole.
This seems to be what we go through in Nigeria. We’re always in one quagmire or the other and it’s becoming tiring. We never really escape situations here, we only adapt and get used to it. This is because that’s the only way we can survive and that seems to be the only thing we know. Adapting!
The beginning of the year was rocked with cash scarcity due to the naira redesign and election fever, after the election, everything died down. We believed the scarcity was a thing of the past, and we wouldn’t have to go through it anymore because many people suffered as a result of that scarcity.
Sick people couldn’t get treated, people starved and businesses crumbled all because there was no cash. But then, this forced a lot of people to become more digitized. Many people, especially the elderly, were forced to embrace the wonders of mobile transfers; both the mobile banking apps and the USSD codes. Many people tried to enforce the only cash policy, but eventually, they had to succumb to pressure because their policy was affecting their sales. And soon, everyone was making transfers.
This came with a downside though, some unscrupulous traders began placing charges on the transfers they accepted. When you bought something and transferred, they’d add an extra #50 or #100 for “charges”. This was extremely annoying because it made no sense. And even more frustrating was the fact that you had no choice but to comply because everyone was doing it, so there was no other option.
But still, even with all this, we managed to adapt. We went digital and life went on. Even after the scarcity was over and went into flow once more, life went on. Even with the rocky rides the economy has been taking us on, life has been going on. And with the constant slump of the naira against the dollar, life keeps going on. We adapt to every change and go with every flow.
And now, it seems the demons of the past are back to haunt us. Cash scarcity is slowly creeping in once more, and if care is not taken, it’ll become more pronounced. I don’t even know why cash has to be scarce, especially during this period when people will need a lot of it for their holiday doings. This is the worst time to have a cash crisis.
Soon, the price of withdrawing cash at the POS stands will increase again, these greedy traders will once again begin their practice of charging for every transfer. And seeing as this is the holiday season, they’ll milk this scarcity for everything it’s worth.
I really don’t know what’s going on at CBN. I don’t know if this is a tactical move to achieve a desired end, or if it’s just a consequence of a decision made by top brass. Whatever it is, it seems that yet again, the masses are taking the full brunt of it. We’re the ones who suffered during the initial cash crunch, and we’d be the ones to suffer again if it gets worse.
But then, will anything be different this time around? Are we just going to adapt to the situation all over again? Do we even have a choice? Adaptation seems to be survival, and if one must survive, then he must learn to adapt. But then, maybe it’s not a good thing to be so adaptable, maybe it’s a curse. Because if we didn’t do it so well, things wouldn’t have gotten so bad.
Anyway, what do I know about banks and politics? I’m just a soon-to-be-published thriller author, all I know is how these things affect me and I come on here to say it. And while we all do our best to survive, let’s cling to the hope that things will get better.
Don't forget!!! I'll be publishing an excerpt of my upcoming novel and revealing the cover of my book later today on my blog. You'll find it pinned!😊