Just past noon on Friday, February 17, George Chinedu, a trader, was in a lengthy queue in front of Guaranty Trust Bank in Palmgrove, a suburb of Lagos. 

With the sun beating down on them, a crowd of customers perched on railings or tiny seats, while others just sat on the ground. Some had been in the queue since 5 a.m., but the bank’s doors remained closed. They had no idea if, or when, the bank would open.

Long queues have become permanent outside banks and ATM machines across Nigeria in recent weeks, as Nigerians are struggling to get their hands on the naira, the country’s official currency. And with the country headed to the polls on February 25 to elect a new president, the lack of ready cash is a hot button issue.

Chinedu folded his arms across his chest. “I am just tired of this country,” he complained. A week earlier, he had managed to get only 2,000 naira (about $4) out of the 25,000 naira ($54) he needed to pay his daughter’s school fees after five hours in the queue. Like financial institutions across Nigeria, the bank was rationing its cash reserves.