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Mutilated Naira Notes: Citizens Blame CBN, Others

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The high level of mutilated naira notes in the country has led to blame games, as citizens state the need for new prints production to replace the bad ones.
Speaking in an interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt Monday, a retired chartered accountant with Shell Petroleum Development Company Limited, Mr Isaac Ukaegbu, said that the N100 notes are the worst hit in this current level of mutilation, adding that “when a currency note is mutilated, acceptability becomes low”.
He said that even the banks find it difficult to change the very bad notes, adding that these days, people quarrel constantly in commercial vehicles and market places because of mutilated naira notes.
Ukaegbu noted that most times transactions become difficult because a business man or woman has rejected what is in a customer’s hand, stating that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is not helping the issue.
The retired accountant said that “CBN is expected to withdraw the notes through the commercial banks, but the Apex Bank has not given them any instruction to that effect.
However the value of naira remains the same mutilated or new prints.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GEMP Engineering Limited, Mr Philip West said “nobody feels better with mutilated naira notes.
The CEO said that it is difficult to see N100 and 200 prints these days and that the ones in the system have suffered from over circulation adding that those in the market and general public should be blamed for this.
He noted that the higher denomination like N1000 and N500 notes are not treated the way the lower ones are treated, adding that the CBN is producing those ones on daily basis, which are on high demand during withdrawal inside the banks and at ATM centres.
In his contribution, Rev Victor Taylor of Assemblies of God Church, Silver Valley, branch blamed the mutilation on the material used to produce the lower denominations, saying that he has lost a lot of money due to rejection by traders.
He called on the CBN to create more awareness on the handling of the notes adding that there is an urgent need to produce new notes on the lower denominations especially the N200 and N100 notes.
A graduate of Computer Science who did his industrial training in the banking sector, Mr Chukwudi Uka, blamed the mutilation on the citizens, stating the need for everybody to use wallets for the notes.
Uka also noted the need for people to put the money they give to celebrators in the envelop instead of the ‘spraying’ which mutilates the naira notes.
He said that some commercial banks refuse to collect mutilated naira notes due to the commission charged by the CBN to change the notes.
Also, Gife Nwazue, an entrepreneur told The Tide that the N100 notes in circulation are irritating and always made her to quarrel with her customers who reject them.
It would be recalled that the Acting Director of Communications in CBN, Isaac Okorafor last week accused commercial banks of sabotaging the effort of the apex bank in replacing mutilated notes with new ones.
Okorafor said that the apex bank is aware of the high level of mutilated notes in the country and stated the need for “customers to demand new naira notes from the respective banks and reject dirty notes”.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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Kenya made it a clean sweep at the Berlin Marathon with Sabastian Sawe winning the men’s race and Rosemary Wanjiru triumphing in the women’s.

Sawe finished in two hours, two minutes and 16 seconds to make it three wins in his first three marathons.

The 30-year-old, who was victorious at this year’s London Marathon, set a sizzling pace as he left the field behind and ran much of the race surrounded only by his pacesetters.

Japan’s Akasaki Akira came second after a powerful latter half of the race, finishing almost four minutes behind Sawe, while Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele followed in third.

“I did my best and I am happy for this performance,” said Sawe.

“I am so happy for this year. I felt well but you cannot change the weather. Next year will be better.”

Sawe had Kelvin Kiptum’s 2023 world record of 2:00:35 in his sights when he reached halfway in 1:00:12, but faded towards the end.

In the women’s race, Wanjiru sped away from the lead pack after 25 kilometers before finishing in 2:21:05.

Ethiopia’s Dera Dida followed three seconds behind Wanjiru, with Azmera Gebru, also of Ethiopia, coming third in 2:21:29.

Wanjiru’s time was 12 minutes slower than compatriot Ruth Chepng’etich’s world record of 2:09:56, which she set in Chicago in 2024.

 

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NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

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The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the disclosure during an inspection of the Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja, last Thursday.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
According to him, the centralised production system aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for improved service delivery.
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FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year 

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The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced plans to roll out Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and the Nigerian Data Exchange (NGDX) platforms across key sectors of the economy, starting in early 2026.
Director of E-Government and Digital Economy at NITDA, Dr. Salisu Kaka, made the disclosure in Abuja during a stakeholder review session of the DPI and NGDX drafts at the Digital Public Infrastructure Live Event.
The forum, themed “Advancing Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure through Standards, Data Exchange and e-Government Transformation,” brought together regulators, state governments, and private sector stakeholders to harmonise inputs for building inclusive, secure, and interoperable systems for governance and service delivery.
According to Kaka, Nigeria already has several foundational elements in place, including national identity systems and digital payment platforms.
What remains is the establishment of the data exchange framework, which he said would be finalised by the end of 2025.
“Before the end of this year and by next year we will be fully ready with the foundational element, and we start dropping the use cases across sectors,” Kaka explained.
He stressed that the federal government recognises the autonomy of states urging them to align with national standards.
“If the states can model and reflect what happens at the national level, then we can have a 360-degree view of the whole data exchange across the country and drive all-of-government processes,” he added.
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