Business

Naira Redesign: Traders Decry Sudden Disappearance Of New N200, N500, N1,000 Notes

Published

2 years ago

April 17, 2023

Barely one month after the reintroduction of old N200, N500 and N1,000 notes, some residents of Anambra have decried the unavailability of the new notes in many banks in the state.

Some of them told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka on Monday that they hardly complete transactions with new naira notes because they were not available.

This is even after the old currencies had been mopped up from circulation by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and unavailable for use by citizens for about two months before they were officially pumped into the system on Dec. 15, 2022.

The residents said it was surprising that they had to return to and rely on the reintroduced old notes because the new notes which were to replace them were not in circulation.

NAN Correspondent who monitored the situation reports that cash transactions were largely done with old notes.

Mr James Nnaeto said that he had not been able to withdraw as low as N5,000 new notes from any bank but had regularly been paid in old notes since banks resumed disbursing them.

Nnaeto said he had noticed sudden disappearance of the new notes following the reintroduction of the new notes in March.

According to him, we are back to our normal lives, thank God for the return of the old notes.

“Apart from when I used old notes to buy new ones and when I paid high charges to get them, I have not seen them again, even the banks are not issuing them.

“The CBN is not prepared for that Policy because there is nothing that suggests that they were ready to replace the old currency notes with new ones,” he said.

Mrs Angela Molokwu, a trader, said she was almost going out of business because of lack of cash.

Molokwu said business was gradually regaining stability since the reintroduction of the old notes which had made transactions easy.

She said she had to resort to Point of Sale (PoS) operator services which had its challenges including delayed and failed transactions but pointed out that such services did not make for easy retail sale transactions.

“Thank God cash is back, people now use cash to buy what they want but it is with the old notes, I am not seeing the new notes as it should be.

“If I go to bank for withdrawal, it is the old naira notes they pay me with,” she said

On his part, Mr Osita Obi, Convener of Recovery Nigeria Project (RNP), a Civil Society group, said the country’s economy would have grinded to a halt if the old currency notes were not returned to circulation.

Obi, who said the ratio of new notes to old ones in circulation was around 25 :75, regretted that in spite of the assurances of the CBN that it had printed sufficient quantity of the redesigned notes, Nigerians could not use them freely five months after.

According to him, CBN is not ready; they have a lot of explanations to make to Nigerians.

“Where are the new notes they said they printed, how come we have the old notes which were withdrawn and reintroduced more in circulation now?

“The policy somersault was to much for Nigerians, it was unnecessary; what it means is that Nigerians would have been stranded by now if the old notes were not returned, so why were they returned in the first place?

“Government should not be taking citizens for a ride,” he said.

Prof. Uche Nwogwugwu of the Department of Economics, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka said the CBN naira redesign policy could not be described as economic because it was not planned nor did the outcome result in improved welfare of citizens.

Nwogwugwu opined that it was more of political considerations which the Apex Bank and the Federal Government should also consider the outcome and weigh if it justified the hardship citizens passed through.

He said rather than shrinking the economy, the CBN should expand liquidity or cash in circulation to accommodate increased demands due to increase in number and volume of businesses and population.

The economist said the Dec. 31 deadline for complete phasing out of the old naira notes may not be achievable if the attitude adopted for implementation of the policy five months after the introduction was sustained.

“I still cannot tell the reason for that policy, only the CBN can do that, but all I can say is that it is not economic, if it was, it should have been well planned and the outcome cannot be hardship, so it must have been political.

“Money in circulation can never be enough, our economy is growing, so people need more money to transact.

” The currency redesign Policy almost killed the economy, the informal economy almost went into extinction and after all that, we are back to where we were.

“The new notes are no where to be found, we have more of old currency today, people are worse off and the way things are going, it is unlikely that the Dec. 31 deadline will be met,” he said.

Business

NNPCL Raises Fuel Price

Published

1 day ago

October 13, 2025

Editor

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has increased the pump price of petrol from ₦865 to ₦992 per litre, marking a fresh hike that has sparked widespread concern among motorists and consumers .

As of the time of filing this report, the company has not released any official statement explaining the reason for the sudden adjustment.

During visits to several NNPC retail outlets, The Nation observed fuel attendants recalibrating their pumps to reflect the new price.

At NNPC filling station on Ogunusi road, Ojodu Berger, petrol attendants at the station said they were instructed to change the price to reflect the new rate N992 per litre.

However, checks at Ibafo along the Lagos /Ibadan expressway showed that NNPC outlets still displayed the old price of N875 per litre, although they were not selling to commuters.

Most of the NNPC stations were not dispensing fuel.

Business

CBN Directs Banks To Refund Failed ATM Transactions Within 48hrs

Published

3 days ago

October 11, 2025

Editor

The Central Bank of Nigeria has directed Deposit Money Banks and other financial institutions to refund customers for failed Automated Teller Machine transactions within 48 hours, in a sweeping reform aimed at protecting consumers and restoring confidence in the banking system.

The directive is contained in a draft guideline released by the apex bank on Saturday, titled “Exposure of the Draft Guidelines on the Operations of Automated Teller Machines in Nigeria.”

The document, signed by Musa I. Jimoh, Director of Payments System Policy Department, was circulated to banks, payment service providers, card schemes, and independent ATM deployers, with a call for stakeholder feedback by October 31, 2025.

Under the draft, failed “on-us” transactions, where customers use their own bank’s ATM, must be reversed instantly. If technical glitches prevent immediate reversal, the bank is required to manually refund the customer within 24 hours.

For “not-on-us” transactions, involving other banks’ ATMs, refunds must be processed within 48 hours.

“Customers must not be made to suffer for failed transactions caused by system errors or network failures,” the circular stressed.

In a significant shift, the CBN mandated banks and ATM acquirers to deploy technology that automatically reverses failed or partial transactions, removing the need for customers to lodge complaints.

Institutions holding customer funds due to failed disbursements must reconcile and return balances immediately.

According to the apex bank, these measures respond to widespread frustration over delayed refunds and poor customer service and form part of a broader effort to enhance consumer protection, improve reliability, and modernise Nigeria’s payment infrastructure in line with global standards.

The guidelines will also overhaul ATM operations nationwide. Banks and card issuers are now required to deploy at least one ATM for every 5,000 active cards, with phased targets of 30% compliance in 2026, 60% in 2027, and full compliance by 2028. Any future deployment, relocation, or decommissioning of ATMs must receive prior approval from the CBN.

To ensure safety, ATMs must be fitted with anti-skimming devices, CCTV cameras, and placed in enclosed or well-lit areas.

Machines are expected to comply with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards, maintain audit logs, and display functional helpdesk contacts. At least 2% of all ATMs must feature tactile symbols for visually impaired customers.

ATMs are also required to dispense cash before returning cards, allow free PIN changes, issue receipts for all transactions except balance inquiries, display clear transaction fees, dispense only clean banknotes, and provide backup power to reduce downtime.

Downtime must not exceed 72 consecutive hours, after which operators must inform the public of the cause and expected restoration time.

The CBN will enforce compliance through regular audits, on-site inspections, and monthly reports from ATM operators detailing deployments and locations. Defaulting institutions risk sanctions, though fines were not specified.

The apex bank explained that the overhaul was necessary due to rising complaints about failed transactions, cyber fraud, and declining service quality, noting that “the goal is to build a payments system that works seamlessly for everyone, urban and rural users alike.”

Nigeria’s electronic payments landscape has grown rapidly in recent years, with 200 million cardholders and rising reliance on digital banking, but network failures, poor infrastructure, and delayed reversals have continued to undermine confidence.

The fresh guidelines, coming eight months after a revision of ATM fees, are expected to streamline service delivery, enhance transaction security, and hold banks accountable. Stakeholders are invited to submit feedback ahead of the final policy adoption, which could take effect before the end of the year.

Business

Nigerian Stock Market Hits 10th Consecutive Uptrend As investors Gain N308bn

Published

5 days ago

October 10, 2025

Editor

The Nigerian Stock Market recorded its 10th consecutive uptrend as investors raked in N308 billion gain on Thursday.

This comes as the Nigerian Exchange Limited, NGX, market capitalisation, which opened at N92.490 trillion, appreciated by 0.33 per cent to close at N92.798 trillion on Thursday.

Also, the All-Share Index added 0.33 per cent, or 485.25 points, to close at 146,204.34, compared with 145,719.09 recorded on Wednesday.

Increased trading in Eunisell Interlinked, Caverton Offshore Support Group, Sunu Assurances, Industrial and Medical Gases, Mecure, and 27 other advancing stocks boosted market performance on Thursday.

To this end, the market breadth also closed positive with 32 gainers and 21 losers.

Further analysis showed that Eunisell Interlinked and Caverton Offshore Support Group led the gainers’ chart by 10 per cent each, closing at N44 and N6.93 per share, respectively, while FTN Cocoa Processors led the losers’ table by 6.67 per cent, closing at N5.60 per share.

Market activity showed a decline in the number of deals and volume traded but an improvement in trade value.

Accordingly, a total of 346.99 million shares worth N27.43 billion were traded in 24,691 deals, compared with 525.72 million shares worth N13.61 billion exchanged in 25,597 deals on Wednesday.

Fidelity Bank topped the activity chart with 42.01 million shares valued at N861.54 million.

According to DAILY POST, NGX has continued its bullish run from last month’s end to date.