CBN: Old Naira Notes To Remain Legal Tender For Life

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has announced that the old N200, N500, and N1,000 notes are to remain legal tenders indefinitely.

In a statement, the bank’s Director of Corporate Communications Isa AbdulMumin said the CBN branches will continue to issue and accept all denominations of the bank notes, old and redesigned, to and from deposit money banks.

It explained that the move is in line with international best practices and “to forestall a repeat of earlier experiences.

“Thus, all banknotes issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), in accordance with Section 20(5) of the CBN Act 2007, will continue to remain legal tender, ad infinitum, even beyond the initial December 31, 2023, deadline. The Central Bank of Nigeria is working with the relevant authorities to vacate the subsisting court ruling on the same subject.

“The general public is enjoined to continue to accept all Naira banknotes (old or redesigned) for day-to-day transactions and handle these banknotes with utmost care, to safeguard and protect the lifecycle of the banknotes”.

CBN To Allow Old Design Naira Banknotes As Legal Tender, Ad Infinitum… https://t.co/ukHSjfXt9v pic.twitter.com/7l9Oita9Am

— Central Bank of Nigeria (@cenbank) November 14, 2023