By Tosin Adesile
Exactly 10 days after the Supreme Court judgement mandating the use of old N,1000 and N500 notes as legal tender till December 31, 2023, the Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Godwin Emefiele, on Monday bowed to pressure and officially ordered commercial banks to comply with the court verdict.
He also announced that the old N200, N500 and N1,000 would remain legal tender till the end of the year.
Emefiele said the decision followed a meeting with Bankers Committee that held on Sunday.
The development has put an end to the confusion over the legality of the old naira notes. The action is also expected to ameliorate the suffering of Nigerians who have faced severe hardships over the scarcity of new naira notes amid the controversial ban on the old notes.
The Acting Director, Corporate Communications, Isa AbdulMumin, disclosed the latest development in a statement titled ‘Old N200, N500, and N1,000 banknotes remain legal tender – CBN’
The statement read, “In compliance with the established tradition of obedience to court orders and sustenance of the rule of law principle that characterised the government of President Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), and by extension, the operations of the Central Bank of Nigeria, as a regulator, Deposit Money Banks operating in Nigeria have been directed to comply with the Supreme Court ruling of March 3, 2023.
“Accordingly, the CBN met with the Bankers’ Committee and has directed that the old N200, N500 and N1,000 banknotes remain legal tender alongside the redesigned banknotes till December 31, 2023. Consequently, all concerned are directed to conform accordingly.”