Abuja, Feb. 20, 2023 – The National Orientation Agency (NOA) says government should have created more awareness on the naira redesign policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) before its implementation.
It said many Nigerians had wrong notion of the naira redesign policy.
Dr Garba Abari, the Director-General of NOA, told journalists on Monday in Abuja said this was the feedback the agency received from its field officers who related with citizens nationwide.
He said some Nigerians were of the opinion that the time allocated for the change of new naira notes was insufficient and many people could not meet up with the deadline.
“People were of the opinion that NOA’s sensitisation campaign should have commenced earlier before the new naira redesign policy of the CBN commenced so as to gain citizens buying the idea.
“It was observed that there were large number of people who misconceived or have wrong perception of the new naira redesign policy of the CBN.
“There is the need to redouble efforts towards creating more awareness on the policy.
“Some people were of the opinion that time allocated for the change of new Naira notes is insufficient and many people can’t meet the deadline.”
Abari said that banks were culpable concerning the issue of naira notes scarcity which affected many businesses.
He said three weeks after the introduction of the policy, the NOA approached the CBN for a partnership that would take the communication to the grassroots.
Abari said that the NOA reasoned that the redesign would have huge impact for Nigerians living in the communities, especially those living where banks do not operate and those without internet access.
“We observed that commercial banks were not issuing the new naira notes to the public as a result most people in the rural areas said they were yet to see the redesigned naira notes.
“People expressed concern over the non-availability of the new naira notes in circulation which in turn affected their businesses,” he said. (GBN)
