Some residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja have expressed their happiness over the extension of the deadline for swap of old bank notes .
The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Godwin Emefiele, on Sunday announced that President Muhammadu Buhari has approved a 10-day extension.
According to him the deadline has been moved from January 31 to February 10, to allow for the collection of more old notes legitimately held by Nigerians.
Some of the FCT residents who closed from places of worship to the news, were seen in clusters discussing and expressing joy.
A worshipper, who gave her name as Josephine, said her mother called from the village to tell her she was not able to exchange her old notes for the new ones.
Josephine said she was worried that her mother would not be able to meet up with the deadline.
She said, “we heard the news when we closed from church and the first thing I did was to put a call across to my mother to break the news.
“I was concerned for her health because the development unsettled her.
“When I told her about the extension, she screamed.”
Another worshipper, Obinna Ugwu, said the development was commendable.
Ugwu said although he was able to swap all his old notes for the new ones, he was happy for his friends and neighbours, who still had old notes with them.
According to him, my neighbour is a businessman and I heard him lamenting yesterday that he was not able to swap the old notes with him for new ones.
“This is cheering news for him and some of my friends who still have the old notes with them.
“The extension is short but it is better than the Jan. 31 deadline.
“I wondered how people, particularly those in the rural areas would met the initial deadline.
“I hope the essence of the currency swap is achieved.
A taxi driver, Mr David Oche said the extension was a welcome development.
He said he was on his way to filling station to use the old notes on him to buy fuel when he got the news.
On the last minute syndrome by some Nigerians, Oche said it was important for Nigerians to do away with the habit.
The driver said “last minute rush is common among Nigerians
and it is a habit we must do away with.
“You will be surprised that even with the extension, some people will wait till the last days before going to swap their old notes,” he said.
The CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, had fixed Jan. 31 as deadline for the return of old N200, N500 and N1,000 banknotes.
The development generated reactions from Nigerians as there have been calls for extension of the deadline.
Politicians, including senators and House of Representatives members have also called for extension of the deadline.
Onitsha residents laud CBN for extending deadline for exchange of old naira
Some residents of Onitsha in Anambra, on Sunday lauded the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for extending the deadline for the exchange of old naira notes by 10 days.
A Point of Sales (POS) operator, Miss Sarah Obialor, said the news of the extension of the deposit and use of the old currencies would increases her business.
“For the past few days now, my patronage has dropped, many people don’t come for transactions anymore.
“Nobody wants the old note anymore, and the new notes are not in circulation yet, am happy that the central bank and the federal government listened to the call for an extension,” she said.
Mixed reactions have trailed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) extension of the deadline for collection of old naira notes by 10 days.
Some Nigerians in Lagos, commended the CBN for the extension, while others said that it could also lead to a situation where government policies might not be taken seriously in the future.
According to them, the extension is a good decision because it affords some Nigerians, who are yet to deposit their old naira notes, the opportunity to do so.
Mr Ukaegbu Ndukwe, a software programmer, said the extension by 10 days would give the masses few days of grace to return old notes in their possession to the bank.
“The date is fair, so long it doesn’t get extended to the election date as it might affect the free and fair electoral process in terms of vote buying.
“Most of the people clamouring for this extension may have in their possession hoarded old naira notes and might intentionally want to use this notes for vote buying,” he said.
Mr Michael Akpan, a businessman, said he did not expect the apex bank to give in to pressures by politicians to extend the Jan. 31 deadline.
“I will say it’s okay since it’s not after the elections, but government should learn to stand by its words,” he said.
