The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has warned that any commercial bank that refuses to accept old naira notes before the deadline of January 31 will be subject to severe sanctions.
Yesterday in Yola, Adamawa State, while answering questions from journalists, CBN Director of Internal Audit, Mrs. Ladia Alfa, stated that the central bank would view such actions from any commercial bank as sabotage and treat them in accordance with its statutes.
Super agents have been sent to the 21 local councils of Adamawa to collect the old notes before the deadline in order to make sure that rural residents are not adversely affected by the new naira redesign strategy.
“CBN came up with the idea of super agents in rural areas because majority may not have the means to come to the state capital to deposit their old naira notes. Introduction of the super agents scheme will reduce the stress of the rural populace,” she said.
Alfa emphasized that the benefits to the stability of the nation’s economy are enormous and asked Nigerians to thank CBN for the naira redesign policy.
She suggested that large retail establishments, including gas stations, adopt Point of Sale (PoS) services for their patrons.
She claims that the purpose of the extensive education campaign on the replacement of the old naira notes in Adamawa is to prevent Nigerians from suffering financial losses as a result of the naira redesign strategy.
She said a dedicated CBN team is touring the state and keeping an eye on ATMs to make sure that fresh naira bills are loaded in all the working machines.
The CBN director stated that the media’s involvement would help to dispel some of the unfavorable perceptions that economic saboteurs try to generate when leading the campaign for the new policy.
