NAIRA SWAP: NORTHERN GROUP REQUESTS EXTENSION OF DEADLINE

Arewa Consultative Forum, a pan-northern socio-political organization, requested that the Central Bank of Nigeria postpone the deadline for replacing old currency notes with new ones in all commercial banks nationwide on Saturday.

The northern group emphasized that by doing this, Nigerians would be spared, especially the misery of losing their hard-earned money, which would be especially painful for rural communities.

In a statement distributed to journalists in Kaduna on Saturday, the ACF made this claim through its Secretary General, Murtala Aliyu.

The Forum stated that the government must take ordinary Nigerians’ misery into consideration and may want to postpone the date of January 31 when the old naira notes would no longer be accepted as legal cash.

The ACF stated, “We are concerned that the majority of our people in the rural areas will not be able to swap their old currency for the new ones since the deadline for the exchange expires on Tuesday. This is due to the lack of new notes, even in urban areas.

“Also while the CBN made some measures to support such, the effort is being hampered by a number of problems, including the people’s inadequate access to bank services and the convoluted exchange system, among others. Innocent people have been forced to endure hardships, uncertainty, and fear as a result.

“We firmly believe that common people, particularly those in the North, will lose their hard-earned money through no fault of their own. To protect citizens’ interests everywhere, the government must be sympathetic to their situation.

“It should not be permitted to be demonstrated that the exercise is purposefully intended to fail or produce disorder in order to disrupt the ongoing democratic process, as suggested by some political actors. People who lose their riches due to incoherent government policy or actions are prone to believe that the government has let them down.

“We welcome the National Assembly’s attempts to step in and interfere, calling the leadership of the Central Bank’s haughtiness and insensitivity to account.

“The ACF firmly calls on the President and the CBN to as a matter of urgency extend the expiration date of the exercise and strengthen the arrangements so that everyone with genuine cases is taken care of,” the statement reads.