The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Godwin Emefiele, says the excuse of security threats pushed by Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State has no bearing on the ongoing currency swap across the country.
Mr Ganduje had in an interactive session with critical stakeholders, including scholars, legislators, political leaders and business community in the state, revealed that his administration had requested the president to postpone his official visit to the state.
The governor said the state was deeply concerned about the hardship principally induced by the ongoing cash swap from old to redesigned Naira notes.
He said the decision was taken to avoid any unforeseen circumstances.
However, the CBN governor debunked Ganduje’s assertion, saying: “I don’t understand the relationship between the CBN policy and security challenges in Kano State.”
Mr Buhari had earlier on Sunday morning approved the extension of the ongoing currency swap by 10 days, moving the deadline from Jan. 31 to Feb. 10.
The president’s spokesman, Femi Adesina, who confirmed this in a statement, said Mr Buhari gave the approval at a meeting with the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria in Daura, Katsina State.
He urged more time, discretion and order to enable Nigerians successfully change their currencies to the redesigned notes, and reduce the risk of loss, especially among the underserved in rural areas.
Mr Ganduje, who led a delegation of critical stakeholders from the state to meet the president in his country home in Daura on Sunday, after which he revealed the change of position to newsmen.
The governor said: ”We are very much ready to receive him and we have a lot for him to commission, including Federal Government projects and state government projects.
”They are state-of-the-art projects.”
NAN
