Naira swap: I met Buhari to extend the deadline for petty traders’ sake ― Tinubu

Ahmed Bola Tinubu, Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives (APC) for the February 25th 2023 general elections, says his intervention to extend the deadline for old Naira notes’ swap was taken in the interest of vulnerable petty traders.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele announced the extension of the deadline from January 31, 2023, to February 10, 2023, after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in Sunday in Katsina State.

The two-term former governor of Lagos State disclosed this when he led his campaign Campaign Council to Benin monarch’s palace on Sunday in Benin City.

Tinubu revealed that President Muhammadu Buhari reluctantly acceded to his request, and extended the deadline out of respect, after three-four days of calling him and running back-and-forth discussions.

According to him, “Some of your Cousins, your wives seeking garden eggs, carrot, roasted corn need money. Then, if Naira is cancelled the way it is, and we fail to intervene, we would have failed I our duty.

“We have been on this for the past three-to-four days. And suddenly in the afternoon (on Sunday) when he (President Buhari) said okay, out of great respect, he will consider our request for an extension. But, I had to be there (meet him).

“I was running back and forth. I was calling him. So, that is what we have been doing. Luckily, though we didn’t get everything we want, we got an extension for a number of days. It was then I started coming”, he said.

Responding, His Royal Majesty, Oba Ewuare II, Oba of Benin, thanked Tinubu for the encomium shown to him by the APC Presidential Campaign.

The traditional ruler gave brief insights into some societies in the palace and the functions of some Chiefs.

Chief David Edebiri, the Esogban of Benin, offered prayers on behalf of the Oba to God and his ancestors towards his aspiration.