The redesigned naira notes’ Arabic inscription must be kept, and the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has being urged to do so.
Recall that the redesign of the N100, N200, N500, and N1000 notes was unveiled by CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele.
The new naira notes would be on sale on December 5, 2022, according to Emefiele.
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Following this declaration, some Nigerians requested that the apex bank remove the Arabic writing from the new naira notes, emphasizing that it is not Nigeria’s official language.
However, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) argued that the Arabic inscription, also known as Ajami, should be kept on all denominations of the naira and emphasized that its removal would anger Muslims and lead to conflict in the nation.
In the midst of these debates, a former CBN governor named Muhammadu Sanusi claimed that the central bank will not do rid of the Arabic writing on the new naira notes.
The Arabic inscription should be kept, according to the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF), in the spirit of brotherhood.
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Ajami should be kept in the new naira denominations since most Northerners cannot read the English language, according to AYCF National President Yerima Shettima in an interview with the Daily Post.
Shettima referred to those advocating the removal of Ajami as bigots from the religious right.
He said: “Most of our people in the North understand Arabic, so for us to move together and in the spirit of brotherhood, it’s not a bad idea to allow the inscription.
“Most of the people advocating for the removal of the inscription are ethnic bigots that create a story where there is no need for such.
“Over time, this inscription has been there and does not in any way imply an Islamization agenda; it’s just a figure, and I don’t know why this issue is coming up now.
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“I don’t think it’s part of the government’s policy, but biased-minded people are thinking in that light. In the spirit of oneness and brotherhood, the inscription should remain.
“Personally, I have no problem because I can read, write, and understand any figure on the naira but most people in the Northern part of the country have issues understanding the other side of the naira. In the North, we have people who only understand Islamic knowledge, so to carry them along and make them feel they belong to the society, our forefathers initiated that.
“It was not initiated by a Muslim government but by a Nigerian Government from the onset.”
Deji Adeyanju, an Abuja-based public affairs expert, questioned the connection between Nigeria and the Arab world that would call for Arabic to be written on the nation’s legal coinage.
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He claimed that Nigerian rather than Arabic writing on the naira would have been preferable.
Adeyanju added that it was not a problem for the naira to have Arabic writing on it.
He said: “I don’t think the debate around the Arabic inscription on the naira notes is a big deal because English is also a language.
“However, it would have been preferable if it was a Nigerian language that is on the naira instead of Arabic, because what is the correlation between Nigeria and Arab? Is Nigeria an Arab nation?
“I don’t understand the correlation between our legal tender and Arabic inscription, but it should not be a big thing that people begin to give religious connotations because it’s just a language after all.
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“I think CBN should be looking towards having our local language on our legal tender,” Adeyanju told Newsmen.
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