Naira Notes Redesign: We Followed Due Process – CBN Replies Finance Ministry.

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We followed due process, CBN replies Finance Minister on redesign of Naira notes.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has responded to remarks by the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed that her office is unaware of plans to redesign some naira notes.

Ahmed had told the Senate committee on Friday that CBN governor Godwin Emefiele should be invited to explain the purpose of the new naira notes as she only read about the move in the media like everyone else.

She also faulted the process, describing the move to redesign the notes as ill-timed and that it will significantly affect the Nigerian currency.

However, the spokesman of the apex bank, Osita Nwanisobi in a statement, argued that CBN followed due process as far as redesigning three series of the naira is concerned.

But Nwanisobi expressed surprise at the minister’s claim, stressing that the CBN remains a very thorough institution.

He said the management of the CBN, in line with provisions of section 2(b), section 18(a), and section 19(a)(b) of the CBN Act 2007, had duly sought and obtained the approval of the President Muhammadu Buhari in writing to redesign, produce, release and circulate new series of N200, N500, and N1,000 banknotes.

Urging Nigerians to support the currency redesign project, he said it was in the overall interest of Nigerians, reiterating that some persons were hoarding significant sums of banknotes outside the vaults of commercial banks.

This trend, he said, should not be encouraged by anyone who means well for the country.

Furthermore, he noted that currency management in the country had faced several escalating challenges that threatened the currency’s integrity, the CBN, and the country.

Nwanisobi added that every top-rate Central Bank was committed to safeguarding the integrity of the local legal tender, the efficiency of its supply, as well as its efficacy in the conduct of monetary policy.

On the timing of the redesign project, Nwanisobi explained that the CBN had even tarried for too long, considering that it had to wait 20 years to carry out a redesign, whereas the standard practice globally was for central banks to redesign, produce and circulate new local legal tender every five to eight years.

While assuring Nigerians that the currency redesign exercise was purely a central banking exercise and not targeted at any group, the CBN spokesman expressed optimism that the effort will, among other goals, deepen Nigeria’s push to entrench a cashless economy in the face of increased minting of the eNaira.

He said this is in addition to helping curb the incidents of terrorism and kidnapping due to access of persons to the large volume of money outside the banking system used as a source of funds for ransom payments.

Nwanisobi, therefore, urged Nigerians, irrespective of their status, to support the Naira redesign project, as it was for the greater good of the economy.


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By Abia ThinkTank

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