Our reporters who visited several banks in Abuja, the nation’s capital, yesterday, observed unusual calm at all banks’ premises.
Some branches visited did not open to customers at all because their officials claimed that they did not receive any new notes from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) the previous day; while those that opened at all, closed earlier than the normal 4: 00 pm closing time.
Earlier in the day, one of the tier one banks sent messages to its customers to alert them that the deadline when old N200, N500 and the N1, 000 Naira notes would no longer be legal tender was fast approaching and advised them to deposit such notes in the bank before it was too late.
There was anxiety among members of the public on whether the Central Bank of Nigeria would be allowed to maintain the February 10 deadline or not.
Our correspondents who met customers at various banks’ premises reported that the deadline and the persistent scarcity of the new Naira notes were the dominant topics of discussion.
