Arabic Inscription on Naira Notes puts CBN on Pressure

Arabic inscriptions being on the Nigerian naira notes have caused a lot of backlash in recent times from many Nigerians particularly those of Christian faith owing to perceived discrimination on Christians and the conspiracy theory of an alleged move to Islamize those of different belief by the Nigerian government.

This has certainly placed the Central Bank of Nigerian (CBN) under pressure to act fast after it confirmed a redesign of the Nigerian naira notes ahead of the coming year.

Some citizens are of the opinion that in the redesigned naira notes, Arabic inscription must be removed, prompting calls on the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to do so.

According to Tever Akase, Governor Samuel Ortom’s Senior Special Assistant for Media and Publicity, all Nigerian languages should be on the currency rather than Arabic.

In a tweet, Akase argued that Arabic is not Nigeria’s second official language, hence no need to have its inscription on its legal tender.

He wrote: “Those redesigning the naira notes should ensure that inscriptions of all Nigerian languages are on the currencies.

“If this is impossible, they should remove the existing Arabic inscriptions and leave only English on the new notes. Arabic is not Nigeria’s 2nd official language.”

According to reports, the top bank would introduce the new naira notes on December 15, 2022.

The new currencies to be introduced, according to CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele, are the N1,000, N500, and N200 notes.

Speaking at a press conference, Emefiele urged Nigerians to swap their old notes for new ones at their local banks.