Godwin Emefiele, the Governor of the Central Bank, has urged commercial banks to go to apex bank locations all around the nation to obtain the new naira notes.
Emefiele conveyed the decision on Wednesday in Lagos when the apex bank visited Computer Village, Ikeja, as part of its awareness-raising tour about the acceptance of the newly redesigned naira notes.
He stated that the new naira notes were in the vaults of the apex bank and were ready for the commercial banks to pick them up.
“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,’’ Emefiele said.
Emefiele, who was represented by Mr. Kofo Salam-Alada, Director, Legal Services Department, CBN, claimed that the central bank was making considerable efforts to make sure that the new notes were widely accepted.
According to him, the apex bank was currently visiting commercial banks to keep an eye on them and their Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) to make sure that no longer were clients being paid in the new naira notes over the counter but rather through the ATMs.
Emefiele stated: “One of the things we are doing is that we have monitors going around the banks currently. I have been to certain ATMs this morning and I have made a complaint and I have spoken to the management of the various banks.”
Additionally, he warned that any bank that neglected to come pick up the fresh notes and fail to deposit cash into its ATMs would face sanctions.
He gave the marketers reassurance that the issues they were encountering will be resolved quickly.
If they have any trouble obtaining the new notes, Emefiele advised them to phone these numbers: 08176657641, 08176657642, 08176656721, and 07080650791 and send emails to newnaira@cbn.gov.ng.
Emefiele emphasised that the Jan. 31 deadline for submitting old naira notes was sacred and he urged people to go deposit their old money so they wouldn’t be caught off guard.
The apex bank was already taking steps to grow the number of merchants to a decent position where enaira would become acceptable, he added, and he advised people to adopt enaira and other electronic channels as well to conduct their banking business.
Timmy David, the president of the Coalition of Associations in Computer Village, pleaded with the CBN to uphold their commitment by making sure that the replacement notes were available 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, he said.”
Also, Emefiele and his group paid a courtesy visit to Chief Lateef Oluseyi, the Olukosi of Ikeja Land, in the Palace of the Olu of Ikeja Land.
Emefiele gave him a briefing on the new procedures at the central bank as well as the decision to discontinue the 1,000, 500, and 200 denomination notes.
To allay the concerns of various social groups regarding the validity of the new notes, he also bathed the new N1000 note with water.
