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BBC Pidgin of Friday, 17 February 2023

Source: BBC

'Continue to spend your old 500 and 1000 naira notes' - El-Rufai to Kaduna pipo

Kaduna govnor Nasir El-Rufai Kaduna govnor Nasir El-Rufai

Di Kaduna State Govnor Nasir El-Rufai don tell pipo of im state to continue dey spend di old 500 and 1000 naira notes.

Dis dey come afta President Muhammadu Buhari announce for broadcast on 16 February say im don give approval to CBN to allow old 200 naira to circulate as legal tender alongside di new 200, 500 and 1000 naira notes.

Buhari directive mean say di old 500 and 1000 naira no longer be legal tenders for Nigeria but El-Rufai insist say make pipo of Kaduna no disturb diasef as dem fit continue to transact business wit di old notes.

E say make Kaduna pipo stay calm and support di lawful means wey im dey use to solve di problem of di pipo.

“On behalf of di Kaduna State Goment, I wish to assure you say none of you go lose di moni wey you get for old notes. Make you no allow artificial or illegal deadline to frighten you. Weda you dey live for towns or villages or for our isolated rural communities, you no need rush to deposit your old notes for bank, make you hold on to dem, continue to use dem as legal tender as di Supreme Court don order,” El-Rufai tok.

Di govnor say no deadline fit render di old notes worthless as di law dey di side of di pipo.

“Di Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007 and di Bills of Exchange Act, both oblige di CBN to recognise your old notes and give you value in new notes weneva you bring dem to di CBN, even in di next 100 years, di govnor tok.

El-Rufai tok say di decision to make only di old 200 naira to stay as legal tender till April wey di President tok bin dey offered to state goments as part of di proposals dem give to solve di mata of naira redesign outside of courts.

Im say di federal goment say di reason dem only offer dose notes na sake of say dem don already destroy di old 1000 and 500 naira notes.

Di Kaduna govnor say dem reject di offer and submit proof say dem neva destroy di former denomination.

“We also believe say di 200 naira wey dem wan circulate no go reach to calm di kasala we dey see everi day. We insist say make dem do wetin Supreme Court tok completely,” di govnor tok.

We go help you collect old notes

Govnor El-Rufai assure di pipo of Kaduna say im goment in collaboration wit di elected legislators, traditional institution, elected local goment councils, markets and traders associations go help collect, record, document, collate and deliver all di old notes to di Kaduna branch of di Central Bank on dia behalf for new notes immediately afta di elections.

“We go also ensure di delivery of your new notes to your various locations witout any hardship or expense on your part. We go save you any panic and distress of long journey from your community to di CBN office for our state capital, from March until December 2023 if need be,” di govnor tok.

'We go enforce Supreme Court order'

Meanwhile di Jigawa State goment don vote to enforce di Supreme Court order wey no allow federal goment to ban di old naira notes as legal tender.

Dis dey come from public notice wey di Jigawa State Commissioner for Special Duties Anwal Sankara give tori pipo.

For di notice, commercial banks, corporate organisations, ministries, agencies and traders gazz still accept old notes or dem go enta leg for di same trouser with state goment.

Wetin Buhari tok?

President Buhari bin direct di Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to release di old notes of 200 for Nigerians to continue use am as legal tender.

Di President tok say di 200 go function as legal tender alongside new 200, 500 and 1000 naira notes.

''To further ease di supply pressures particularly to our citizens, I don give approval to di CBN say make dem release di old N200 bank notes back into circulation and dat make dem allow am circulate as legal tender with di new N200, N500, and N1000 banknotes for 60 days from February 10, 2023 to April 10 2023 wen di old N200 notes cease to be legal tender,'' Buhari tok.

President Buhari wey address Nigerians on 16 February say di old notes go continue to be legal tender from February 10 till April 10 2023.

Dis mean say di old 500 and 1,000 naira no longer dey valid as legal tenders.

How we get here?

Afta CBN introduce im new design of some Naira notes sake of wetin dem call currency management problem, di apex bank first set a deadline of January 31, 2023.

Dem ask pipo to deposit dia old N200, N500 and N1,000 notes and receive di new ones, wit some withdrawal limits.

CBN later extend di deadline to February 10, 2023 afta kasala burst wen many pipo no fit withdraw cash.

Dis mata make Supreme Court to give order say make CBN march brake for di old naira notes to stop to be legal tender.

Na three Northern States, Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara, bin file motion ex-parte on February 3rd, say make di top court stop Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) naira redesign policy.

Di court wey bin sit on Wednesday to hear di mata, later postpone dia ruling to February 22, 2023 - three days before di kontri presidential election.

Govnor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, and im counterpart for Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai also show face for di hearing.

Meanwhile, di Attorney-General of di Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami bin don ask di Supreme Court to dismiss di suit wey di three state goments file to challenge di naira redesign policy of di Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).