The War Against Naira Abuse

The six-months sentence slammed on controversial cross-dresser, Idris Okuneye popularly known as Bobrisky and the ongoing prosecution of socialite, Pascal Okechukwu, also known as Obi Cubana, clearly demonstrates the seriousness with which the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is willing to prosecute the war on naira abuse.

A Federal High Court  has just sentenced Bobrisky to six-month jail without an option of fine. Also,  a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos granted Obi Cubana N10m bail after he pleaded not guilty to charges of naira abuse. EFCC’s decision to begin the war with these socialites is plausible and that will send a strong signal to their ilk.

Arguably, the naira is one of the most abused currency in the world as it is very common to see Nigerians, especially the well-to-do, spraying this legal tender with reckless abandon at social events. This is a clear contravention of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN’s)act which frowns at the abuse of the country’s legal tender.

Section 21(3) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act 2007 (As amended) explicitly provides for penalties for those caught abusing the naira. Specifically, the law stipulates that “spraying of, dancing or matching on the Naira or any note issued by the Bank during social occasions or otherwise howsoever shall constitute an abuse and defacing of the Naira or such note and shall be punishable under the law by fines or imprisonment or both.”

The law also prohibits hawking of the country’s legal tender when it provides in Section 21(4) that “It shall also be an offence punishable under Sub-section (1) of this section for any person to hawk, sell or otherwise trade in the Naira notes, coins or any other note issued by the Bank.”

However, in spite of this copious provisions, Nigerians still indulge in outright abuse of the naira by spraying the banknotes at events, tearing and writing on the banknotes, and selling the banknotes among other clear instances of abuse including selling and mutilation.

As should be expected, these practices have continued to make a mess of the CBNs Clean Notes Policy which was implemented with the aim of enhancing the visual appeal and durability of the banknotes in circulation.

From 2007 when the act was enacted to date, there has been no deliberate efforts to punish those who indulge in sheer abuse of the naira in contravention of the law. As a matter of fact, until recently, most Nigerians were not even aware of this law.

It is clear that the respective authorities have finally woken from their slumber and are set to go after unpatriotic Nigerians who have turned naira abuse into a hobby. Beginning with the so-called socialites who are the worst culprits as far as abusing the naira is concerned, the government appears bent on ending this menace.

We applaud the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other relevant agencies of the government for this all-out war and urge them to sustain the tempo.

Nigerians who have made it a habit to disrespect the naira by either spraying it with reckless abandon at social functions such as birthdays, weddings and funerals, or selling it at the roadside, must be made to face the full wrath of the law.

As a newspaper, we applaud the EFCC for Bobrisky’s conviction and enjoined it to ensure that the ongoing prosecution of Obi Cubana is done with all the necessary diligence so he can face the law squarely when found guilty.

However, for this renewed war to make a meaningful impact, there must be no sacred cow. All those guilty of this abuse, regardless of their social standing, should be brought to book.

The EFCC and other agencies must resist the temptation to indulge in preferential treatment especially as one class of persons who are guilty of naira abuse is the political class. Our political elites see spraying the naira at social gatherings as a status symbol.

Even though it is a long held one, this culture of spraying money during celebrations is a national embarrassment that must be confronted using all the available legal instruments. There has to be an end to this sheer act of flamboyance and extravagance which is counterproductive.

While we commend the EFCC for its effort to protect the integrity of the national currency, we are persuaded to appeal to the government to apply the same zeal in ensuring that Nigerians, so hard pressed, have the Naira in their pockets in the first place.

This they can do by putting in place policies that are directed at ameliorating the hardship the citizens are exposed to.