Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said that there are no plans for the extension of the January 31 deadline for the withdrawal of old 1,000, 500 and 200 naira notes.
This was made known by the CBN spokesperson, Osita Nwanisobi in an exclusive chat with The Quest Times on Friday in Abuja.
Reacting to rumoured extension of the deadline, Nwanisobi said, “nobody has extended the deadline for the old currencies collection.
“There are no plans for extension,” he said.
The Quest Times reports that the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele had on Tuesday declared that the January 31, 2023 deadline fixed by the apex bank for the return of old N200, N500 and N1,000 banknotes will not be extended.
Recalled that In October 2022, Emefiele had announced the naira redesign policy which entails the issuance of new naira notes to replace the existing N200, N500, and N1,000 series.
The CBN said N100, N50, N20, N10, and N5 notes would continue to be in circulation while the current N200, N500, and N1,000 naira notes will cease to be legal tender in the country after January 31, 2023.
Meanwhile, the Senate and House of Representatives have asked the CBN to extend the deadline for the withdrawal of old naira notes from circulation.