A press release purportedly from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), posted on the Facebook page of First Lady Aisha Buhari on Tuesday, has stirred up controversy.
The statement, which bears the signature of the Director of Corporate Communications Department of the CBN, Osita Nwanisobi, and dated February 20, stated that “after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, the CBN has been directed to re-issue and re-circulate the old N200, N500 and N1000 banknotes, adding that it is expected to circulate as legal tender for 70 days up to May 1, 2023.”
However, discerning Nigerians doubted the authenticity of the press release, which should have followed the apex bank’s official communication channel, instead of the First Lady’s social media page.
The apex bank also swiftly issued a statement denying the purported circular, and tagging it as ‘Fake News’.
In the rebuttal by the CBN titled “Please be wary of fake news”, the bank said the press release did not emanate from it as the earlier directive by Buhari on February 16, mandating that only the old N200 notes are to be in use alongside the new notes still stands while the N500 and N1000 notes are no longer legal tender in Nigeria.
The post was however quickly deleted, after eyebrows were raised.
Reports quoting Presidency sources said the circular could not have emanated from Mrs. Buhari, as she had deactivated her Facebook account over two years ago.