The Yoruba Youths Council has urged the presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to change his stance and support calls by Nigerians on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to extend the cash swap deadline.
The apex bank had given February 10, 2023 as the deadline for transactions in the old N200, N500 and N1,000 currencies.
The former vice president had on Wednesday in Abuja asked the CBN not to grant a further extension after the February 10 deadline for naira swap.
He said this was to ensure that the purpose and objective of initiating the redesigning of the currency are not destroyed.
But the suffering the naira swap exercise foisted on people across the country in the last few days, as Nigerians in their millions daily besieged commercial banks across the country to withdraw the new notes, has forced eminent personalities and the common man to call for further extensions to enable citizens have access to their monies.
Speaking in a statement signed by its President, Comrade Eric Oluwole, Yoruba Youth Council, said, “Despite the CBN directives on the commercial banks to pay their customers with new notes over the counter, the new notes are non existent in the banks, while the maximum withdrawal permitted by banks per customer is N20,000.
“Thus, the economy is being starved of funds to oil its engine with attendant worsening tolls on Nigerians who increasingly find it difficult to meet their basic daily financial needs and transact their businesses amid crippling fuel scarcity.
“We advice Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to support the postponement and extension towards the good lives and welfare of the masses and he should revert his statement.
“We urge CBN to extend the deadline because Nigerian people are suffering, especially in making hospital payments and running small businesses apart from facing other hardship in the country. We urge the Apex bank to understand the yearning of all Nigerian citizens.”
