Reject Old Naira Notes from Banks, CBN to Nasarawa Residents

Nathaniel Gbaoron, Lafia

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has threatened commercial banks still dispensing old naira notes to their customers in Nasarawa State with sanctions if they don’t desist.

The governor of the apex bank, Godwin Emefiele, handed down the threat at a one-day sensitization meeting with traders in Lafia on the redesigned new naira notes.

Represented by Director of Security Services of the CBN, Atiku Mohammed, the CBN governor called on residents of Nasarawa State to reject old naira notes dispensed to them by any commercial bank henceforth.

He said: “When you go to any bank and you are issued the old two hundred, five hundred and one thousand naira notes do not collect because you will be collecting tissue paper that will not be acceptable from 31st of January this year.

“We will sanction any bank in Nasarawa state and elsewhere that is found guilty of dispensing the old naira notes at ATMs or counters to customers.

“The central bank has supplied adequate new naira notes to the various commercial banks. Nobody should collect the old naira notes again. If any bank issues old naira notes to you, report such bank to the CBN for appropriate action.

The CBN governor, therefore, insisted that despite appeals by some traders calling for extension of time, that there will be no extension of the fixed date to phase out the old naira notes.

Following complaints raised by residents and traders at the sensitization meeting between the CBN with traders, the CBN boss decided to visit five commercial banks in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, to ascertain the level of compliance to the directive given by the apex bank.

Among the commercial banks visited by the CBN were Access Bank, Zenith Bank, UBA, FCMB, First Bank, GTB, Banks, among others as they were found dispensing the old naira notes.