The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has declared that the old naira banknotes will retain their legal tender status. Earlier, in October 2022, the CBN had introduced redesigned N200, N500, and N1,000 denominations, with set deadlines for discontinuing the use of the old notes of these denominations.
However, on Tuesday, the CBN announced its intention to indefinitely extend the legal tender status deadline for the old design of N200, N500, and N1,000 denominations. The decision is in accordance with international best practices and aims to prevent the recurrence of previous issues. According to a statement by Isa AbdulMumin, the Director of Corporate Communications, all banknotes issued by the CBN, as per Section 20(5) of the CBN Act 2007, will continue to be legal tender indefinitely, surpassing the initial December 31, 2023, deadline.
The CBN is actively working with relevant authorities to overturn an existing court ruling on the same matter. Consequently, all CBN branches nationwide will continue to issue and accept all denominations of Nigerian banknotes, both old and redesigned, to and from deposit money banks (DMBS).
The public is urged to accept all Naira banknotes, whether old or redesigned, for everyday transactions and to handle them with care to preserve their lifecycle. Additionally, individuals are encouraged to adopt alternative payment methods and electronic channels for their day-to-day transactions.