Abuja residents have expressed joy over the deadline extension to swap old naira notes.

Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria Godwin Emefiele on Sunday announced that CBN obtained President Muhammadu Buhari’s approval for a 10-day extension.

According to him, the deadline has been moved from January 31 to February 10.

Some residents, who closed from places of worship and heard the news, were seen in clusters discussing. A worshipper, who gave her name as Josephine, said her mother called from the village to tell her she could not exchange her old notes for the new ones.

Ms Josephine said she was worried that her mother would not be able to meet up with the deadline.

“We heard the news when we closed from church and the first thing I did was to put a call across to my mother to break the news. I was concerned for her health because the development unsettled her,” Ms Josephine explained. “When I told her about the extension, she screamed.”

Another worshipper, Obinna Ugwu, said the development was commendable.

“This is cheering news for him and some of my friends, who still have the old notes with them. “The extension is short but it is better than the January 31 deadline. “I wondered how people, particularly those in the rural areas would have met the initial deadline,” stated Mr Ugwu. “I hope the essence of the currency swap is achieved.”

A taxi driver, David Oche, said the extension was a welcome development.

He said he was on his way to the fuelling station to use the old notes he had to buy fuel when he got the news.

However, he said, “Last-minute rush is common among Nigerians

and it is a habit we must do away with. You will be surprised that even with the extension, some people will wait till the last days before going to swap their old notes.”

(NAN)