State governments that sued the Federal Government over the naira redesign policy have given Attorney‑General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami, SAN, and Central Bank of Nigeria Governor Godwin Emefiele until Tuesday to comply with the Supreme Court’s order on the currency. The states warned that, should the two officials fail to obey the apex court’s directive— which requires the old N1,000, N500 and N200 notes to remain in circulation alongside the new notes until 31 December 2023—contempt charges would be filed against them on Tuesday.
More than a week after the court’s ruling, both the AGF and the CBN have remained silent, emboldening Nigerians and businesses to reject the old notes as legal tender. On Friday, the Federal Government was served with the enrolled order and a Certified True Copy of the Supreme Court judgment ordering the continued use of the old notes for ten months. Abdulhakeem Mustapha (SAN), counsel for Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara states—the plaintiffs who brought the case—said Malami was served that afternoon and urged immediate compliance, noting that the government’s failure to receive the documents had given it an “escape route.” Mustapha warned, “If there is no compliance now, we will commence committal proceedings against the Attorney‑General and the CBN governor.”
On Sunday, Zamfara State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Junaidu Aminu updated the effort to enforce the apex court’s order. He said the plaintiffs would return to court if the Federal Government continued to refuse implementation. “We have just served the Attorney‑General with the Certified True Copy of the Enrolled Order of the Supreme Court last Friday. We are waiting for them to respect the court’s decision on the naira notes and comply. If they fail to comply on Monday, we will file our case on Tuesday,” Aminu told The Times. He insisted that Emefiele must address Nigerians about the notes by Monday, adding that failure to do so would result in another contempt suit. Aminu explained that it is the AGF’s duty to direct the CBN governor to implement the verdict, noting that the CBN governor is “an ordinary civil servant who receives directives from the Federal Government.”
Ekiti State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Dayo Apata, SAN, said her state would join the other plaintiffs in any legal steps necessary to ensure compliance with the Supreme Court judgment on the naira redesign and cash‑swap policy. “We are all in the same boat, and what is important to us is to ensure compliance with the court order. Whatever legal action is possible to achieve our aims, we will align with the other states,” she said.
Similarly, Cross River State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Tanko Ashang confirmed that his state would join the collective suit against the Federal Government, noting that the state parties were “together” in taking the government to court. Kogi State also affirmed that it had begun enforcing the judgment, with Commissioner for Information Kingsley Fanwo explaining that the plaintiffs, including Kogi, had already started work on compliance.
Rivers State condemned the Federal Government’s continued silence, calling it “disturbing.” Commissioner for Information and Communications Chris Finebone said the government should publicly acknowledge the Supreme Court ruling, which mandates that the old notes remain legal tender, and support their use until the court‑specified date.
Ondo State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Charles Titiloye announced that his state would cooperate with the other plaintiffs to ensure compliance. He added that Ondo had been actively sensitising the public and banks, visiting them to instruct that no bank should reject the old notes. “We discovered that almost all of them complied,” he reported.
Attempts to contact the Attorney‑General and his media aide, Umar Gwandu, were unsuccessful, as were calls to CBN spokesman Abdul Isa, whose line was switched off on Sunday. He had not responded to a text message regarding the CBN’s failure to comply with the Supreme Court order at the time of this report.
Human‑rights activist Femi Falana, SAN, disclosed his intention to sue the CBN for not disclosing the number of new notes issued to commercial banks. In a Freedom of Information Act letter dated 16 February 2023, Falana Chambers demanded details of the redesigned N200, N500 and N1,000 notes distributed to each bank, as well as a list of customers who collected more than N100,000. Despite the statutory seven‑day deadline, Falana said the CBN has not provided the information and warned that legal action will be taken to compel compliance. He lamented that the printing capacity cannot meet the demand for new notes, causing undue suffering.
In Osun State, Governor Ademola Adeleke, through spokesperson Olawale Rasheed, warned banks against rejecting old notes as deposits and asked the CBN’s Osogbo office to intervene, describing the refusals as “unacceptable” and a source of tension.
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) condemned both the Federal Government and the CBN for disobeying the Supreme Court’s judgment, warning that such defiance could lead to anarchy. In a statement released in Kaduna, National Secretary Murtala Aliyu reiterated that the Supreme Court had found President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive to redesign the naira unconstitutional, and urged compliance to preserve peace, order and good governance. He cautioned that the president’s legacy could be tarnished if the policy’s benefits do not outweigh its social costs.
Catholic priest Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka of the Enugu Adoration Chaplaincy also called on President Buhari to reverse the CBN policy, arguing that it is collapsing the economy. Speaking in a homily, Mbaka questioned why the president would leave office leaving Nigerians in “unimaginable suffering and hardship.” He warned that banks are closing, businesses and industries are collapsing, and that a cashless economy cannot be imposed instantly. He urged a gradual, pilot‑based approach with incentives for early adopters, noting that Nigerian banks are not technically ready for such a transition.
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