Sophia Michaels
As the trials of those involved in naira abuse continue, vendors and event planners lament the impact it’s having on the event industry.
Daily Post reports that they lamented that the ban had killed the fun and glamour at social functions, thereby affecting their trade negatively.
Recall that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, recently intensified its crackdown on individuals who abuse naira notes.
A Federal High Court, sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Friday, April 12, 2024, sentenced Idris Okuneye, a.k.a Bobrisky, to six months imprisonment with no option of fine over mutilation of the Naira notes.
A few days after, the anti-graft agency arraigned a socialite, Pascal Okechukwu, a.k.a Cubana Chief Priest, on a three-count charge bordering on abuse of the Naira before Justice Kehinde Ogundare sitting at the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos.
Unlike Bobrisky who pleaded guilty to the charge, Cubana Chief Priest pleaded not guilty to the allegation of naira abuse.
Speaking on this development, the convener of Ogun event vendors, Bola Ayedun-Solate said, although the ban has affected the event planning industry, Nigerians are beginning to adapt to the new development.
Ayedun-Solate spoke in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, at the weekend.
She said, partygoers, musicians and event planners have invented other means of “spraying naira” at parties for fear of being arrested and prosecuted.
The event planner applauded the EFCC for protecting the naira notes, insisting that Nigerians don’t have to abuse the naira to display their affluence at social gatherings.
“For us as event planners, the ban on spraying of naira at parties has removed the glamour from parties, but we are finding our way around it and the people are beginning to get used to the new norm.
“Our clients don’t need to come in front of musicians to abuse naira, we now have money bags printed where money is dropped for our clients.
“There was also a time that the association of event planners in Nigeria had makeshift money, something like money vouchers sprayed at parties instead of the naira notes.”
She, however, implored vendors to make use of money bags and embrace other options instead of abusing the naira at parties.
