Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, on Thursday in Abuja updated President Muhammadu Buhari on the activities of the apex bank.
The CBN governor, who briefed the president, had earlier on Thursday morning attended a meeting between the president and the visiting Director General of the Arab Bank for Economic Development, Dr Sid Ould Tah, at the State House, Abuja.
Emefiele’s visit to the Presidential Villa was the first since he resumed work at the CBN after his leave on January 12, 2022.
It was speculated that the CBN governor travelled out of the country amidst fears he would be apprehended by operatives of the Department of State Service (DSS) over several allegations against him, including terrorism financing.
However, the DSS dismissed such allegations, including online reports that its operatives on Monday invaded the headquarters of the CBN and took over the office of the governor of the apex bank.
Emefiele, who did not speak to journalists after the closed door meeting with the president, briefed the president on the activities of the CBN since the introduction of the redesigned naira notes of N200, N500 and N1000 denominations.
The CBN governor is believed to have presidential backing on the Naira redesign and withdrawal limit policy introduced by the apex bank in December, 2022.
Meanwhile, the CBN, on Thursday, vowed to sanction any commercial bank found hoarding the new Naira notes because it had produced enough for distribution to all the banks across the country.
The CBN Kano Branch Controller, Alhaji Umar Biu, made the remark during a sensitisation on the new Naira notes, organised for traders at the Sabon Gari Market in Kano on Thursday.
The event was attended by traders from Kwari Market, Wapa Bureau De Change Market, Kofar Wambai Market and the famous Kurmi Market in Kano metropolis.
He said the traders had the right to report any bank found either hoarding the new notes or charging customers before depositing their old Naira notes.
“You have the right to report any bank found hoarding the new Naira notes or refusing to collect your old Naira notes before the 31st January 2023 deadline.
“No bank should refuse to collect the old naira notes until the deadline of 31st January, 2023,” the branch controller said.
According to him, the apex bank has also directed commercial banks to desist from payment on the counter as part of efforts to check favouritism of customers.
He maintained that there was no going back on the 31st January 2023 deadline, adding that all the old notes would cease to be a legal tender on that date.
The CBN branch controller further called on the market men and women to report banks that were still loading the old naira notes on their Automatic Teller Machines as the Apex bank had provided enough to them.
He said the sensitisation was designed to enlighten them on the need to deposit the old notes before the deadline to avoid any loss.
The CBN boss advised Nigerians to ensure depositing their old Naira notes at their commercial banks, before the expiration of the January 31, 2023 deadline.
The Chairman of Sabon Gari Market traders, Alhaji Sule Kura, called on the apex bank to make the new Naira notes available to commercial banks, to reduce the hardship being encountered by customers.
He expressed great concern over the non availability of the notes in most of the commercial banks, saying many people would lose their money if urgent steps were not taken to address the situation.
Most of the market leaders who spoke at the occasion called for the extension of the deadline.
