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

South-South Contributed Over 21% Nigeria’s GDP In 2024 – Banker’s institute

Published

15 hours ago

July 17, 2025

Editor

The President of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, Prof. Pius Olanrewaju, has stated that the South-South region contributed N34 trillion to the country’s economy in 2024.

He made the remark at the South-South Zonal Banking and Finance Conference in Calabar on Thursday.

He spoke on the theme, ‘Building An Inclusive South-South: Economic Diversification as a Catalyst For Development.’

Olanrewaju, who quoted the data from the Cable Data Index, said the feat was more than 21 per cent of Nigeria’s real Gross Domestic Product.

The president described the growth as “impressive,” saying that it was not driven by oil alone but significant expansions in trade, services, and the creative industries.

According to him, to fully harness this potential, coordinated financial, technological, and policy support is essential.

“As we work to reposition the South-South for broad-based prosperity, the financial system must play a central role, not merely as a source of capital, but as a catalyst for innovation, ideas incubation, and inclusive economic growth.

“This conference, therefore, provides a strategic opportunity for stakeholders to reimagine the South-South economy, not merely as a resource belt, but as a region of diverse capabilities and resilient enterprises,” he said.

Olanrewaju added that Nigeria must move beyond old models and chart a new course for the development of the South-South region, where financial institutions and stakeholders collaborate to diversify the economy for shared prosperity.

He, however, commended Governor Bassey Otu for his pledge of land for CIBN Secretariat in Cross River and being the first sitting governor to willingly undergo and complete the Chartered Bankers Programme.

On his part, Otu said that the conference discussion on the economic diversification in the South-South region was timely against the backdrop of global trade and economic volatility that was affecting the nation’s economy.

Represented by his deputy, Mr Peter Odey, Otu said the South-South region must now act with urgency to diversify its economy while leveraging its shared natural endowment in agriculture and extractive resources.

“This conference must help develop tailored financial solutions that reflect the unique strengths and realities of states like Cross River in the south-south.

“Diversification should be evidence-based and must be backed not just by financial advice but project-focused financing and real investment support,” he stated.

He said that Cross River had taken the bold step to invest in its agricultural sector by launching an agro-processing hub.

Otu further said that the state had invested in aviation by acquiring more aircraft for Cally Air, constructing the Bakassi Deep Seaport and injecting N18 billion in its tourism sector.

Similarly, the Cross River Branch Controller of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr Tolefe Jibunoh, said that the region was blessed with natural resources, cultural diversity and immense human potential.

Jibunoh, who was represented by Head, Currency Control Office, CBN, Calabar, Mr Segun Shittu, noted that strategic diversification could unlock unprecedented opportunities for growth in the region.

He added that the CBN remained steadfast in maintaining monetary possibilities and promoting a sound financial system as a catalyst for sustainable economic development for the benefit of all.

NAN

Business

Naira Rises In Parallel Market

Published

3 days ago

July 15, 2025

Editor

The naira today appreciated to N1,545 per dollar in the parallel market from N1,550 per dollar last weekend.
Likewise, the Naira appreciated to N1,528.65 per dollar in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM).

Data published by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, showed that the exchange rate for the naira fell to N1,528.65 per dollar from N1,532 per dollar last week Friday, indicating N3.35 appreciation for the naira.

Consequently, the margin between the parallel market and NFEM rate narrowed to N16.35 per dollar from N18 per dollar last weekend.

Business

SEC Raises Alarm Over Forsman & Bodenforms, Warns Investors

Published

3 days ago

July 15, 2025

Editor

The Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, yesterday, has warned the investing public over the activities of Forsman & Bodenforms Limited, saying the firm is not registered to operate in the capital market or to solicit for funds from the public.

The SEC, disclosed this on its website, stressing that its attention has been drawn to the activities of Forsman & Bodenforms Limited, which has been promoting its services in the social media.

The commission said: “The attention of the Securities and Exchange Commission has been drawn to the activities of Forsman & Bodenfors Ltd also known as F&B, which is paraded by its promoters as the Nigerian Branch of a Swedish advertising company bearing that name with obvious criminal intent. The promoters of this fraudulent Nigerian entity go about promising Nigerians automatic employment in the company as compensation for recruiting more members who are lured to pay various sums of money for various positions in the company.”

The commission noted that preliminary investigations reveal that Forsman & Bodenfors Ltd has been actively promoted on social media platforms and online forums, adding that its operations exhibit the typical indicators of a fraudulent (Ponzi) scheme.

“The Commission hereby informs the public that Forsman & Bodenfors Ltd is not registered by the Commission nor authorized to solicit funds from the public or to operate in any capacity in the Nigerian capital market.

“Accordingly, the public is advised to refrain from engaging with Forsman & Bodenfors Ltd or its representatives in respect of any business in the Nigerian capital market, as the potential risk of losing funds to the fraudulent promoters of the entity is very high.

“The investing public is further advised to verify the status of companies and entities offering investment opportunities on the Commission’s dedicated portal – http://www.sec.gov.ng/cmos, before transacting with them”.