Recently, the Central Bank of Nigeria declared openly its plans to redesign N100, N200, N500 and N1,000 notes. This is to take control of currency in circulation, manage inflation, as well as tackle phoney baloney in the country.
Notwithstanding, the move will assist the bank to combating money laundering and the lasting insecurity challenge bedeviling the nation for long decades. Of course, it is a bold step especially, in the fight against corruption.
Nontheless, the Muslim’s agony behind the currency replacement is that they don’t want the Arabic text removed again. This is because the Arabic text means a lot to them as they are people among Muslims who uses the Arabic text as means of identifying the currency hence they only understand Arabic.
The last time the currency was changed during the Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s administration, Muslims didn’t observe any change in the note but rather the removal of the Arabic text and as such multiple of them were against them over as well as disowned the replaced currency for a while and later adopted them as last option.
Undoubtedly, the removal of the Arabic text adds no value or refinement to the currencies previously but rather degrades them. So why removing? To hit the nail on the head, many Muslims presently is thinking that the same thing would happen again. That the CBN need nothing but to remove the Arabic text of the N200, N500 and N1,000 again.
Presently, the move has generated discussions among Muslims that the CBN is after the Arabic text again. For that and to avoid segregative utterances from the populace, the CBN should please not remove the Arabic text against while redesigning the affected currencies.
On a similar note, as the CBN stated reason for changing the currency publicly, let me use the medium to call its attention not to remove the text against it to avoid any misconception by the public. Also, on the other hand, I’m calling the attention of the public note to misconcept CBN if any changes of such nature occur.
Additionally, since Nigeria is a volatile nation, all hands should be on deck to retrieve its lost glory through be on deck to retrieve its lot glory through peace building mechanisms. We have nowhere to call our country except Nigeria as such, whatever is changing the perception of the public should not be maintained especially issues of such nature.
One Nigeria must be achieve through inclusive governance, tolerance and zone ethnical barrier among others, hope the CBN will look into the matter and shun any act of prejudice in the re-designing of the affect currency for unity, peace and progress of the nation.
Sherif Bukar Gambo,
Borno State.
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