Ahead of the January 31, 2023 deadline, the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr Godwin Emefiele, on Thursday charged commercial banks to approach the CBN branches across the country to collect the new Naira notes for dispensing to consumers through Automated Teller Machines or risk the hammer of the apex bank.
Emefiele disclosed that penalties await any commercial bank that failed to pick up the new notes.
He stressed that failure of any commercial to lodge the new money into their ATMs would attract sanctions.
The CBN had earlier issued January 31, 2023 as the deadline to phase out the use of the old banknotes as legal tender in the country.
In view of that, the CBN, had continued to launch aggressive consumer awareness campaigns and urge the Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) to collect new Naira notes and dispense same through their Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) across the country.
The Director of Legal Services Department at CBN, Kofo Salam-Alada, who represented the CBN Governor at the forum made the call Wednesday, when the apex’ Bank held its sensitisation tour on the adoption of the newly redesigned Naira notes to Computer Village, Ikeja.
He urged the commercial banks to approach the apex bank branches across the country to pick up the new Naira notes during the sensitisation of marketers at the popular Computer Village in Ikeja, Lagos State.
The CBN Governor said that the new Naira notes were in the Bank’s vaults awaiting pick ups by the commercial banks for circulation to consumers.
“We have been calling upon the banks to approach the Central Bank of Nigeria across the country to come and pick up the new notes
“We have even waived some of the conditionality for accessing currency notes in order to accommodate the banks
“The banks were being given slots before, but now the Central Bank of Nigeria is bending over backward to accommodate the demands of the banks in order to service them, so that they can service you and so that everybody will have access to the new Naira notes.” He stated.
According to the CBN Governor, the CBN is seriously working to ensure that the new notes reached everywhere across Nigeria.
Emefiele added that the apex bank was currently going round commercial banks to monitor banks and their ATMs to ensure that they stop paying customers the new Naira notes over the counter, but via the ATMs.
“Part of what we are doing is that we have monitors going around the banks now.
“I have been to some ATMs this morning, and I’ve lodged a report and I’ve spoken to the Managements of the various banks,” he stated.
The CBN Governor assured the marketers, that the difficulties being experienced by their customers in getting the redesigned banknotes would soon be sorted out.
He released emergency numbers and asked the marketers and their consumers including the public to send messages to newnaira@cbn.gov.ng, should they have any problem accessing the new notes going forward.
The numbers are 08176657641, 08176657642, 08176656721, 07080650791.
According to him, there will no shifting of the January 31 deadline adding that the date for the deposits of the old Naira notes remains sacrosanct.
The CBN Governor reiterated the call to consumers should deposit their old notes, saying they should not to be caught unawares by the deadline.
He further encouraged consumers of financial products and services to use the eNaira and other electronic channels to transact their banking business.
Emefiele added that the CBN has taken steps to increase the number of merchants to good position where eNaira would become acceptable in the economy.
Mr. Timmy David, President of the Coalition of Associations in Computer Village, in his remarks at the sensitisation forum challenged the Central Bank of Nigeria to enforce its mandate by ensuring that the new Naira notes are accessible before the deadline.
“There should be no banks that should not be giving the new Naira notes from the ATMs; all ATMs should load the new Naira notes.
“As we are giving the old notes, we should be able to take back the new notes; this will enable people to transact their day-to-day business.
“If the machines are not dispensing the new notes, then, it will not circulate.” David stated.