Atiku to CBN: don't extend deadline for old naira notes

• Published date: 01 February 2023
• Publication title: Nigeria - The Nation

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar has called on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) not to extend the withdrawal of old naira notes beyond the February 10 deadline.

Atiku made the call despite the difficulties being encountered by millions of Nigerians across the country in accessing the redesigned currency notes.

In a statement on Wednesday by the Atiku-Okowa campaign organisation, the PDP candidate said extending the deadline would destroy the purpose and objective of initiating the redesigning of the currency.

Atiku said: 'There should be no further postponement of the new naira regime after the expiration of the February 10 deadline. The vote riggers are seeking to push the CBN to extend till after the election when they would have achieved their evil plots. The CBN and the Presidency should be steadfast. The merits of the new naira policy far outweigh the little inconvenience we are experiencing.

'This is one policy that will benefit the country in the long term. We should not allow those selfish, parochial people with the narrow vision to derail it.'

Read Also: Nigerians lament scarcity of new, old naira notes.

He commended the CBN for listening to the demand of the ordinary people by granting a ten-day extension for the exchange of the old naira notes for new ones and urged the apex bank not succumb to the current pressure by Nigerians for more time.

Atiku however urged the apex bank to review the measures it has put in place for ensuring seamless circulation of the new naira notes.

He also charged the CBN to take steps to alleviate the hardship confronting ordinary people across the country, especially rural dwellers, who need cash for their daily transactions.

Continuing, the PDP candidate said: 'The additional ten days will enable our people in the rural areas and ordinary people across the country to take the naira in their possession into the banks. It will also enable the CBN to further circulate the new currency notes among banks so that people can have easy access.

'Within these ten days, I urge the CBN to initiate measures that will alleviate the problems being encountered by the people in exchanging their old naira notes for new ones and getting more new notes into circulation. The CBN may have to consider printing more currency notes to...