Anambra State governor Chukwuma Soludo revealed that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has directed banks to dispense old naira notes.
Soludo said CBN governor Godwin Emefiele disclosed to him in a phone conversation on Sunday night.
“Commercial banks have been directed by the Central Bank to dispense old currency notes and also to receive same as deposits from customers,” Soludo said.
“Tellers at the commercial banks are to generate the codes for deposits and there is no limit to the number of times an individual or company can make deposits.”
Soludo, a former CBN governor said Emefiele gave a directive at a Bankers’ Committee meeting held on Sunday, 12th March, 2023 that banks should dispense old naira notes.
Like Lagos State governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Ogun State’s Dapo Abiodun and Ondo State’s Rotimi Akeredolu, Soludo urged Anambra residents “to freely accept and transact their businesses with the old currency notes (N200; N500; and N1,000) as well as the new notes”.
“Residents should report any bank that refuses to accept deposits of the old notes. The Anambra State Government will not only report such a bank to the CBN but will also immediately shut down the defaulting branch,” Soludo said.
The Anambra governor’s disclosure comes 10 days after the Supreme Court ruled that old 500 and 1000 notes will remain legal tenders till December 2023.
Meanwhile, REPORTERS AT LARGE earlier reported that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said it had not issued a fresh directive to commercial banks regarding last Friday’s Supreme Court judgement ordering the circulation of the old naira notes alongside the new ones until December 31.
