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Abusing Naira Notes, Criminal Offence — CBN

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6 years ago

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The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has appealed to Nigerians to stop defacing the naira, describing it as a national identity and symbol, which must be kept neat.
The CBN Director of Corporate Communication, Dr Isaac Okorafor,made the appeal at a programme tagged “CBN Fair’’ on Thursday in Osogbo.
Okorafor said the way and manner people were abusing the naira was a source of concern to the apex bank.
Represented by an Assistant Director in the bank, Mr Samuel Okogbue, Okorafor said the naira was a symbol of nationhood which must be respected.
“We don’t have any other currency than the naira and we must respect it.
“The naira is our identity, pride and symbol of nationhood and we must handle it with care.
“Don’t spray it, write on it but rather respect it. Abusing the naira is a criminal offence which attracts penalty.
“Just the way we respect our national flag, we should respect the naira as well.
“It is sad the way and manner people are abusing the naira by way of writing on it, spraying it at a party or squeezing it.’’
Okorafor appealed to Nigerians to always handle the naira with care and keep it safe and neat.
Speaking on complaints by some customers on arbitrary deductions on their accounts, he advised them to always ask questions whenever they noticed any abnormality or activities on their accounts.
“The provision of the revised guide on bank charges is that banks are required to provide their customers free statements of account on a monthly basis.
“This means you have a right to get your monthly statement of account from your bank at no cost,’’ Okorafor said.
Okorafor also urged Nigerians to always patronise made-in-Nigeria goods, saying this would help in creating job opportunities.
He said it was worrisome the way Nigerians were patronising foreign goods at the expense of local products.
Okorafor said for naira to gain stability, Nigerians must cultivate the habit of patronising made-in-Nigeria goods.
On the CBN anchor programme, he said the programme was aimed at helping local farmers to increase production and supply of Feedstock to processors, reduce importation and conserve Nigeria’s foreign reserve.
Okorafor said the programme was aimed at reducing poverty among small holderfarmers and to create jobs.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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5 days ago

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September 22, 2025

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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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5 days ago

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September 22, 2025

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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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5 days ago

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September 22, 2025

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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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