The Chairman, Senate Committee on the Army, Ali Ndume, has raised the alarm that the naira scarcity, occasioned by the naira redesign and the cashless policy of the CBN, is affecting military operations, especially at the battlefield.

He told journalists in Maiduguri on Saturday, “Naira redesign and the CBN’s cashless policy are gravely affecting the strategic operations of troops at battlefields across the country. Troops find it difficult to survive at the battlefields because they lack access to cash to buy their daily, basic needs in the remote communities across terrains of insecurity in the country.

“Now, a soldier stays for hours in the ATM or POS queues just to access the stipend, when he should be discharging his duties at the battlefield. This situation has dampened the morale of the troops at the battlefield.”

He said terrorists had said they were already in possession of the new notes, which undermines part of the objectives of the policy to block terror financing. He called on the Federal Government and the CBN to make arrangements for troops to access cash easily, given the critical nature of their duties.