Lagos judiciary jettisons Supreme Court order, rejects old notes

Admin l Tuesday, February 14, 2023

 

IKEJA, Lagos, Nigeria – It was a bad day for lawyers and litigants who went enmass for filing of their court processes with old currency notes as they were turned back by court official in the registry saying their banks were no longer accepting it as legal tender.

Specifically, the account officials at the court registry said attempt by them to pay in old notes into government account was denied by Polaris Bank. The Court officials noted that henceforth, lawyer and litigants must not come with the old note because it will no longer be acceptable to them.

The officials further said that the only a currency acceptable for filing of court processes in the Lagos Judiciary Registry is the new notes sanctioned by the governor of the Central Bank Of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele as confirmed by their bankers.

One of the affected lawyer who did not want to mention his name  confirmed that the registry at Osborne Division of Lagos High Court rejected the old note and turned him back from filling his processes.

He affirmed that the problem is not the judiciary official but that of CBN governor who is visiting anarchy on the nation by jettison the Supreme Court order.

” Non acceptance of old note would be catastrophic to the nation. The highest court in the land, Supreme Court, order has been flouted with impunity. It is obvious that the CBN, especially the governor, Godwin Emefiele is ready to impose state of anarchy on Nigeria by directing banks against the order of the apex court.”

It would be recalled that the Supreme Court granted an interim order on February 8, 2023 restraining the CBN from going ahead with the enforcement of its 10 February deadline for the use of the old Naira note.

The Supreme Court had on Wednesday ordered the CBN not to put an end to the use of old naira notes on 10 February as earlier announced.

A seven-member panel of the court, led by John Okoro, gave the order of interim injunction amid acute scarcity of the newly redesigned N200, N500, and N1,000 currency notes.

The court gave the order temporarily based on an application filed by three northern states being controlled by the All Progressive s Congress (APC), Kogi, Kaduna and Zamfara States.

Last December, the CBN introduced the new notes amid efforts to fight corruption, terrorism, counterfeiting and related crimes. However, Nigerians have had a hard time getting the new notes amid scarcity and rising tension across the country.

The frustration has led to protest in parts of the country with angry Nigerians vandalizing ATMs and banks many Nigerians  besieged commercial banks and ATM points nationwide amid scarcity of the old and new naira notes.