The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) at the weekend in carried out sensitisation on the redesigned Naira notes to Abubakar Mahmud Gumi central market, Kaduna and Central Market in Gusau, Zamfara states,
where it called and encouraged the public to ensure that their old naira notes are deposited in the banks in exchange for new ones before the deadline.
Speaking to newsmen during the sensitisation exercise at the Abubakar Mahmud Gumi market motor park, the director, Capacity Development Department (CDD), CBN, Mohammed Abba urged Nigerians to change their old notes, saying that there is no going back on the January 31 deadline.
"We are not just starting the sensitisation, we have involved the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and some other media houses since when the CBN governor made the announcement.
"We are just trying to consolidate that efforts now. The deadline is getting closer and people need to be carried along".
He also urged traders to visit their banks, deposit the old notes and get the new ones so that at the end of the month, their monies will not become useless.
According to Abba, the CBN is working assiduously to ensure that the banks in Kaduna seize to dispense old Naira notes.
"We are going round the banks to ensure that new notes are available in their Automated Teller Machines (ATM) and if we found any bank that is breaking this rule, we will put sanction on them. We have enough money in the Central Bank".
"We believe that by Monday all those banks that are dispensing old notes will stop doing that".
He said that CBN would reach out to people in rural areas through their traditional rulers so as to sensitize them on new notes and deadline.
The chairman of Kaduna Market Development Association, Abdulrahman Mohammed urged members to go to the nearest commercial banks to deposit their old notes in order to beat the deadline.
Meanwhile, in Zamfara state, the CBN stressed that, the security on the new currency would never would never be faked by dubious persons.
Speaking at a gathering of business groups at Central Market in Gusau, the state capital at the weekend, Zamfara CBN Controller, Mallam Buhari Abbas said the sensitisation embarked upon was to ensure proper public awareness on the designed new naira notes and expiration of old ones.
He explained that the awareness campaign was to make the general public both rural and urban communities know the deadline set by the federal government for the expiration of old naira notes is still 31th of January, nothing has changed.
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The Zamfara CBN,branch controller called on customers to adhere with deadline on returning old naira notes to banks,said any customer who refuse to deposit his old naira notes is as he forfeit it.
"We are here to tell business men and women, they should know the deadline of Federal government is still 31th of this month,old naira notes is no longer legal tender after the expiration of the stipulated date all over".
Also speaking,the head of Currency operations and distribution, CBN Zamfara state branch Dauda Maccido said the era of printing fake naira notes is over.
"The new naira notes has the security that can not be fake,the era of fake notes is over",he stressed.
Murtala Abdulrahman head of ICT,spokes on accounts opening, e-banking and e-naira transactions,its benefit to business group and individual in the state.
In his remarks, the Special Adviser to Zamfara state governor on Market Development Alhaji Suleiman Zumunchi thanked CBN officials for taking the awareness campaign to markets.
He called on business groups and individuals in the state to ensure they have deposited their old naira notes to their respective banks before the expiration period.
