The leader of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, South-East chapter, Gidado Siddiki, has appealed to the Central Bank of Nigeria to extent the deadline given for the circulation of the country’s new currencies.
Siddiki made the call in an interview with journalists in Awka, on Thursday.
He noted that the extension would enable its members who are mostly living in the forests and bushes due to the nature of their grazing business, to bring out their money from the forests to avoid huge losses on their part.
ATTENTION: Click “HERE” to join our WhatsApp group and receive News updates directly on your WhatsApp!
The Central Bank of Nigeria had announced the redesigning naira notes which will start circulating from December 15, 2022.
While expressing their full support for the new policy, Siddiki recalled that when a similar policy was announced in 1985, many of his members who were in their grazing settlements in the rural areas across the country, lost their money because of the inpromptu nature in the execution of the policy.
He said;
“The cattle breeders could not meet up with the timeframe given then by the apex bank as the two weeks given was not enough for them to meet up.
“As a result, majority of the herders lost their life savings because many of them do not have bank accounts and therefore do not keep their money in the banks. Their normal practice is to keep and protect their money wherever they are.
“We can not fight or reverse government policies as law abiding citizens of Nigeria, we are only appealing to the CBN to help us extent the deadline for another three months, so as to enable the leadership of Miyetti Allah reach out properly to those living in out of telecommunication areas across states of the federation.”
