President Muhammadu Buhari earlier on today unveiled the redesigned naira notes across the N200, N500 and N1,000 denominations.
Buhari unveiled the notes at the Council Chambers of the State House shortly before the kickoff of this week’s Federal Executive Council meeting.
Fielding questions from correspondents after the event, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, insisted that the move is not targeted at anyone.
Rather, he said the redesigned notes would give the apex bank ample control over the amount of money in circulation.
“This move is to enable the Central Bank of Nigeria have control over the size of money in circulation.
At the briefing, Governor of the central bank of Nigeria Godwin Emefiele stated that the amount of money that can be withdrawn from the counter would be reduced drastically, and that bulk withdrawal would require several procedures and security checks to track its use.
This he said would ensure a steady transition into a cashless economy.
The CBN governor also argued that Nigerians have ample time to return the old notes in circulation adding that the apex bank will not extend the January 31, 2023 deadline.