Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki
The Central Bank of Nigeria on Friday said that it will sanction any Bank still dispensing old Naira Notes from its Automated Teller Machines(ATM) points.
The Branch Controller, Central Bank of Nigeria, Abakaliki Branch, Mr. Daniel Ogbogu, stated this in Afikpo during a sensitisation workshop organised by the bank for traders and other residents in the area.
He noted that the bank has been doing a spot check to ascertain if all the banks in the state are dispensing the New Naira Notes at their different points and noted that from the report gotten, 95% of the ATMs are dispensing the new notes.
He noted that banks whose ATMs are not dispensing the New Naira Notes have been given the mandate to ensure that the machines starts dispensing immediately.
“We have asked the banks to ensure that all their ATM are dispensing new notes and any banks that gives out old naira will be penalised to ensure that no old notes are being dispensed from any ATM point.”
“We have called the attention of the banks and we have given them mandate to ensure that we don’t want to come back and see that the ATMs are not dispensing the New Naira Notes.”
Mr. Ogbogu maintained that there is nothing political about the redesign and change of the currency adding that anyone saying that the redesign is political is being economical with the truth.
“In currency management, you give like 5 to 8 years to redesign the currency but because of the cost involvement in currency management, the current age of this currency we are changing now is between 15 to 22 years.
“Anybody who is saying that the change of currency is political, the person is economical with the truth. What we are doing now is what should have been done for quite a long time now. For something that is between 5 to 8 years and we are doing it between 15 to 22 years, I don’t think that changing it is sudden.”
“Though it is happening during the election period but is not politically motivated. We have asked banks to come and pick up the new naira notes from the CBN. I also want the public to know that if you go to any ATM and they are dispensing old note, report them to us.”
Chairman, Afikpo Market Amalgamated Association, Comrade Johnson Inya-Oka, expressed concern that the two banks in Afikpo Local Government Area are yet to commence the dispensing of the New Naira Notes at the ATM Points.
He called on the Central Bank of Nigeria to extend the deadline to accommodate traders in the rural communities.
“The New Naira Note is very okay more than the previous one. It looks likes foreign currency. For me the time given as the last date is short because up till now, the banks are not dispensing the new naira notes as far as here is concerned both in the ATM.
“If you go to the ATM, each N100,000, you may get just 5 pieces of New Naira notes and that is the challenge we are having. We won’t have much challenge should the CBN be fast in changing the old money.”
“Our worry is that the two banks in our area are still giving us old naira both at the ATM and counter. But for me I will advise that they extend the date because the banks in Afikpo are not dispensing the new naira notes and even some aged people in the market here have not seen the new naira note,” he said.
