CBN clears air on acceptance of old Naira notes

The Central Bank of Nigeria has cleared the air on directing commercial banks to dispense and accept the deposit of old Naira notes amid the raging currency crisis.

Dr Isa Abdulmumin, Acting Director of Corporate Communication CBN, on Monday, clarified that there is no statement from the apex bank telling commercial banks to dispense and accept the old N500 and N1000 notes from Nigerians.

Abdulmumin was reacting to a statement by the Governor of Anambra State, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, claiming the apex bank had directed commercial banks to dispense and accept the old notes.

He said, “Governor Charles Soludo’s statement emanates from him, not the Central Bank of Nigeria. The Central Bank has not issued any statement directing banks on a collection of old naira notes. I am sure sometime in the future; the bank will issue a statement”.

CBN’s silence 10 days after the Supreme Court ruling validating the old naira notes has continued to unsettle economic stakeholders amid Nigerians’ hardship over the naira crisis.