Benue State governor Samuel Ortom has pleaded with President Muhammadu Buhari and the Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele to consider extending the swapping of old naira notes for newly redesigned notes to June in the interest of the rural populace who are already in distress.

Ortom who made the appeal in Makurdi said he is behind the National Assembly in their quest to give Nigerians more time to exchange the old naira notes adding that the 10 days extension is grossly insufficient because the commercial banks does not have the new notes to dispense to customers. “I want to use this opportunity to call on Mr. President to use his good office to advise the CBN governor to give Nigerians more time, people are in distress especially the rural populace, some people with only N1,000 even slept on queue just to get new notes, this is adding more pain to the already suffering Nigerians.

“From now to June, the CBN will have enough time to print the new currency enough to go round the nooks and crannies of Nigeria,” Ortom added.

Ada Peter