The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has threatened to prosecute abusers and sellers of the naira notes.
The CBN in a statement Thursday said the move was due to the activities of some persons who specialise in selling the new naira notes and others who hurl wads of cash in the air mostly during social events.
The apex bank also quoted section of the CBN act that support its action on this matter: “Similarly, Section 21(4) states that ‘It shall also be an offence punishable under Sub-section (1) of this section for any person to hawk, sell or otherwise trade in the Naira notes, coins or any other note issued by the Bank.’”
“We have equally noticed the queues at Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) across the country and an upward trend in the cases of people stocking and aggregating the newly introduced banknotes they serially obtain from ATMs for reasons best known to them.
According to a statement signed by Osita Nwanisobi, CBN’s Director of Corporate Communications, he stated: “ Also worrisome are the reported cases of unregistered persons and non-bank officials swapping banknotes for members of the public, purportedly on behalf of the CBN.”
The bank warned: “We wish to state unequivocally that, contrary to the practice of these unpatriotic persons, it is unlawful to sell the Naira, hurl (spray), or stamp on the currency under any circumstance whatsoever.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Section 21(3) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act 2007 (As amended) stipulates that ‘spraying of, dancing or matching on the Naira or any note issued by the Bank during social occasions or otherwise howsoever shall constitute an abuse and defacing of the Naira or such note and shall be punishable under the law by fines or imprisonment or both.’
“Similarly, Section 21(4) states that ‘It shall also be an offence punishable under Sub-section (1) of this section for any person to hawk, sell or otherwise trade in the Naira notes, coins or any other note issued by the Bank.’”
Also barring any unforeseen circumstances, bank customers should by today, Friday, be getting at least N20, 000 of the new naira notes across the counters according to the apex bank
This will help to mitigate some of the challenges Nigerians are passing through in respect of the new naira note.
An official of the apex bank that spoke with Business Standards said substantial amount of money was pushed to the bank over the night , and because of this the banks should not have any excuse for not giving the new notes, at least N20,000 daily as from Friday this week
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), on Thursday, directed deposit money banks (DMBs) to commence the payment of the redesigned naira notes over the counter, subject to a maximum daily payout limit of N20,000.
The CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, who gave the directive, urged Nigerians to exercise patience while assuring that the apex bank was working assiduously to address the challenge of queues at ATMs.
But there seems to be anxiety in the industry as CBN has commenced tracking of new notes in circulation that are being abused in parties and other social gatherings.
Hitherto, the new naira notes were not paid over the counter but can only be withdrawn from Automated Teller Machines (ATMs).
Emefiele who urged the police and other agencies to prosecute sellers and abusers of the naira, assured that queues at ATMs will soon disappear.
These directives were contained in a statement by Osita Nwanisobi, Director, Corporate Communications, CBN, which was made available to metrobusinessnews.com (MBN)
Emefiele warned Nigerians, particularly those at social functions such as birthdays, weddings and funerals, to desist from disrespecting the naira or risk being arrested by law enforcement agencies.
The statement reads:
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has observed, with grave concern, the activities of persons who sell the newly redesigned banknotes and those who flagrantly abuse the legal tender by hurling wads of Naira notes in the air and stamping on the currency at social functions.
We have equally noticed the queues at Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) across the country and an upward trend in the cases of people stocking and aggregating the newly introduced banknotes they serially obtain from ATMs for reasons best known to them.
Also worrisome are the reported cases of unregistered persons and non-bank officials swapping banknotes for members of the public, purportedly on behalf of the CBN.
We wish to state unequivocally that, contrary to the practice of these unpatriotic persons, it is unlawful to sell the Naira, hurl (spray), or stamp on the currency under any circumstance whatsoever.
For the avoidance of doubt, Section 21(3) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act 2007 (As amended) stipulates that “spraying of, dancing or matching on the Naira or any note issued by the Bank during social occasions or otherwise howsoever shall constitute an abuse and defacing of the Naira or such note and shall be punishable under the law by fines or imprisonment or both.”
Similarly, Section 21(4) states that “It shall also be an offence punishable under Sub-section (1) of this section for any person to hawk, sell or otherwise trade in the Naira notes, coins or any other note issued by the Bank.”
Accordingly, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is collaborating with the Nigeria Police, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) to address the unpatriotic practice.
We, therefore, warn Nigerians, particularly those at social functions such as birthdays, weddings and funerals, to desist from disrespecting the Naira or risk being arrested by law enforcement agencies.
While reiterating our commitment to Nigerians to ensure the effective distribution of the newly introduced Naira banknotes, we urge them to exercise patience as the CBN is working assiduously to address the challenge of queues at ATMs.
In line with this resolve, the Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, has directed deposit money banks (DMBs) to commence the payment of the redesigned Naira notes over the counter, subject to a maximum daily payout limit of N20,000.
We also admonish members of the public to embrace and adopt other payment channels for their transactions.
The Naira is our legal tender and symbol of national pride. Therefore, let us respect it and handle it with care.
