Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has asked the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to extend the deadline for the validity of old naira notes.
There has been increased tension in the country as Nigerians scramble to meet up with the deadline amid poor circulation of the redesigned N200, N500 and N1,000 series. This has led to several calls for the extension of the January 31 deadline — but the CBN has insisted that it will not shift ground.
In a broadcast yesterday, Atiku said a lot of people, particularly those in remote areas, will be unable to meet the deadline.
He asked for “a slight extension”, adding that it will be magnanimous of the Government to ease the burden on Nigerians.
“While we can continue to sensitise the public on the impending imperative of mobile banking policy, it is important for the CBN to consider an extension of time that the public can convert their unbanked monies into new notes thereby reducing the financial consequences on these vulnerable citizens”, he said.
“The January 31st deadline will certainly cause a heavy discomfort on our people and it will be magnanimous on the part of government and regulatory agencies to ease the burden on the people in the public interest”, he further stated.
The PDP flagbearer asked the CBN to continue sensitising the public about mobile banking while an extension is granted.
