From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has taken its sensitisation on the new Naira notes to Abubakar Mahmud Gumi market, Kaduna to encourage the traders to change their old notes.
The event is part of the sensitisation of stakeholders on the currency redesign held simultaneously at various locations across the country.
Speaking to Journalists during the sensitisation exercise at the Central Market Motor Park, Kaduna yesterday, the Director, Capacity Development Department, CBN, Mohammed Abba urged Nigerians to change their old notes, saying that there is no going back on the January 31 deadline.
“We are not just starting the sensitisation, we have involved the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and some other media houses since when the CBN governor made the announcement.
“We are just trying to consolidate that effort now. The deadline is getting closer and people need to be carried along”.
He also urged traders to visit their banks, deposit the old notes and get the new ones so that at the end of the month, their monies will not become useless, he added.
According to Abba, the CBN is working assiduously to ensure that the banks in Kaduna seize to dispense old Naira notes.
“We are going round the banks to ensure that new notes are available in their Automated Teller Machines (ATM) and if we found any bank that is breaking this rule, we will put sanctions on them. We have enough money in the Central Bank.
“We believe that by Monday all those banks that are dispensing old notes will stop doing that”.
He said that CBN would reach out to people in rural areas through their traditional rulers so as to sensitize them on new notes and deadline.
The Chairman of Kaduna Market Development Association, Abdulrahman Mohammed urged members to go to the nearest commercial to deposit their old notes in order to beat the deadline.
