Former President Buhari’s Naira Redesign Approval Admitted in Court Exhibit

The High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Abuja witnessed a significant development on Tuesday as former President Muhammadu Buhari’s approval for the re-design of Nigeria’s currency, the Naira, was tendered and admitted as an exhibit. This approval, dated October 6, 2022, was personally signed by Buhari and conveyed to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) under the leadership of Governor Godwin Emefiele.

Ahmed Bello Umar, the former Director of Currency Operations at the CBN, testified before the court on behalf of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and disclosed that Emefiele, while undertaking the currency redesign project, deviated partially from the specifications outlined in Buhari’s approval.

The EFCC lead counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), questioned Umar during the trial. Umar confirmed that Buhari indeed approved the Naira redesign project and publicly launched the redesigned currency on December 29, 2023

Emefiele, who was arraigned by the EFCC on May 15, 2024, before Justice Maryanne Anenih of the FCT High Court, denied the charges leveled against him.