10/02/2023
Naira Redesign: Confusion as swap deadline expires today
The Sun News
Feb 10, 2023 4:09 AM

•CBN bound to obey S’Court order –Falana •Many bank branches remain shut as queues at ATMs, PoS charges rise
By Chinwendu Obienyi
Despite the Supreme Court, Nigerians continued their countdown on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) February 10 deadline for the expiration of the old naira notes as legal tender. in the country.
The CBN had announced that its Naira redesign policy in October 2022, was aimed at addressing vote buying and insecurity.
But since the announcement that the new notes would start circulating from December 15, 2022, Nigerians and businesses have been struggling to exchange the old notes for new ones.
The development has since triggered a cash crisis across the country with many banks failing to dispense the new notes across the counter and at their ATM points.
However, days after the governments of Kaduna, Zamfara and Kogi state dragged the CBN to court over the naira redesign policy, the Supreme Court on Wednesday, February 8, 2023, suspended the move by the CBN to end the use of the new notes as legal tender by February 10, 2023.
Meanwhile 24 hours after the S’ Court judgement, a look at the apex bank’s website showed that it is still running its countdown clock to the deadline.
“Current series of N200, N500 and N1000 notes remain legal until the deadline 10th February 2023,” a notice on the website read.
In the notice, the bank also advised Nigerians to deposit their old notes at designated financial touchpoints. Meanwhile, following the Supreme Court judgement on Wednesday, President Muhammadu Buhari and the Governor of the Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele met at the State House, Abuja.
But the details of the meeting are yet to be revealed. Reacting to the development, the interim Chairman of the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB), and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Femi Falana, in his latest communique revealed why