Emir Sanusi declares CBN will maintain Arabic signs in redesigned naira notes

Muhammadu Sanusi II, a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), claimed to have learned that the Arabic sign present on the current naira notes will remain on the redesigned notes.

Former Kano emir Sanusi claimed that CBN governor Godwin Emefiele had informed him that the Arabic sign would be incorporated into the new naira note.

The former CBN governor and Emir stated to Islamic experts on Monday that the rumours of taking down the Arabic sign were untrue.

The African writing system known as Ajami, which is derived from Arabic, is written in Arabic on the naira notes.

“I heard various scholars commenting, with some implying that the Ajami on the naira notes would be removed,” Sanusi said. “I want to use this medium to authoritatively confirm to the Muslim ummah that there are no such plans.

“Since the issue came up, we have spoken to some people in the Central Bank, and they confirmed to me that such a plan is non-existent.”

The 200, 500, and 1,000 naira notes will be redesigned starting on Thursday, December 15, 2022, according to CBN plans released last week.

Emefiele noted that the redesign of Naira notes would prevent terrorism and kidnapping ransom payments as well as reduce the use of counterfeit notes.

Following the CBN's pronouncement, the Arabic inscription sparked discussion among some Nigerians, with some advocating its removal and others favouring its retention.

The Islamic leaders were advised by Sanusi, the CBN governor from 2009 to 2014, to confirm and seek clarification on any matters they are unsure of.

He revealed that he spoke with CBN governor Emefiele in order to clarify issues related to the redesign of the naira notes.

“When the misconception became widespread, I spoke to the CBN governor himself, and he also confirmed to me that there is no plan whatsoever to remove the Ajami. So, I want to appeal to Islamic scholars to please stop acting on unsubstantiated reports.

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