The authorities of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have declared that henceforth, anybody caught abusing the country’s currency would be made to face the law by serving six months imprisonment with a fine of N50,000 (fifty thousand naira).

Mrs. Uchenna Onyene in the Currency Operations Department of CBN said this at the two- day CBN FAIR was organised in Owerri for bank users and customers.

The CBN official stated need for users of Nigerian currency to change their attitude the handling of currency.

According to her Nigerian currency remains the pride of the nation adding that it must be kept clean all the time.

She said “CBN issued out currency clean and it must be returned clean.”

She condemned the attitude of spraying money in public, observed with dismayed that Igbos have been most guilty of this act.

While advising people to desist from such action adding such an attitude destroys the country’s currency.

Speaking earlier, the Director of Corporate Communication CBN, Mr. Osita Nwanisiobi said that the essence of CBN FAIR is to sensitize bank customers and stakeholders and acquaint them with necessary information about their monetary policies and activities.

Nwanisiobi represented by the Deputy Director Corporate Communication Department CBN, he identified some of the policies to include ‘how to handle Naira, various payment platforms, consumer protection initiatives and development international initiatives among others.

He said that since 2016, Nigeria, as a country has gone into recession twice, regretted that any country that has such an ugly experience cannot stand economically.

Mr. Osita condemned what he described as an army of unemployed youths seen in the streets of Nigeria adding that such situations project the nation as a poor country.

He appealed to Nigerians to stop complaining about exchange rate, adding that it’s only those countries that export their products that would have value in Naira and boast in exchange rate.

He said “if Nigerian exports more, the currency of the country will certainly rise”.

Describing the CBN programs and interventionist program as livewire, the CBN Director Corporate Communication said that since 70s, Nigerian have restricted herself to producing one product which is crude oil.

He expressed dismayed that even when we do that, the country does not have control of fixing the prize. (Nigerian Tribune)

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