Cardoso Launches the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Naira Ambassadors Club

•Urges Nigerians to protect currency

By Emma Ujah, Abuja

Central Bank of Nigeria Governor Olayemi Cardoso inaugurated the CBN Naira Ambassadors Club, a campaign designed to encourage young Nigerians to respect and handle the Naira responsibly.

During the club’s opening ceremony, which brought together secondary‑school students from the Federal Capital Territory, Cardoso remarked: “The Naira is much more than paper and polymer. It is the legal tender of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It facilitates trade, supports economic activity, enables savings and investment, and serves as a visible expression of our national identity and sovereignty.”

He added: “Every banknote tells a story about our nation. It carries the portraits of distinguished Nigerians, national symbols and security features carefully designed to preserve public confidence in our monetary system.”

According to him, “Every Nigerian has a responsibility to treat the Naira with respect.”

Cardoso noted that “the Central Bank continually invests significant resources in producing clean, durable and secure banknotes to meet the needs of our economy,” warning that “when banknotes are defaced, mutilated or mishandled, they deteriorate more rapidly than expected. This increases replacement costs, disrupts the efficiency of currency circulation and imposes avoidable financial burdens on the nation.”

He stressed that “the preservation of our currency is therefore not merely an operational concern for the Central Bank; it is a matter of national responsibility.”

Deputy Governor