News
Is Nigeria’s Central Bank Planning to Scrap Old Naira Notes?
A viral video circulating on TikTok has sparked widespread concern. The video claims that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) plans to phase out old naira notes, rendering them invalid as legal tender by December 31, 2024. According to the video, Nigerians must exchange their old naira notes for new ones before the alleged deadline or risk losing their value.
This alarming claim has raised questions: Is this true?
The Investigation:
To clarify the matter, we turned to official sources, and here’s what we found:
On Friday, December 13, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) issued a statement debunking the rumor. Hakama Ali, the Acting Director of Corporate Communications, reiterated that both the old and redesigned naira notes of the N1,000, N500, and N200 denominations will remain legal tender indefinitely.
The CBN’s statement referenced a Supreme Court ruling delivered on November 29, 2023, which affirmed that all versions of the affected denominations can circulate concurrently without any deadline. This judgment overrides earlier speculations of a phase-out, putting the rumor to rest.
The Facts:
- CBN Statement: The CBN has categorically dismissed the claim of a December 31, 2024, deadline for phasing out old naira notes.
- Supreme Court Ruling: The ruling allows the continuous use of both old and redesigned naira notes, ensuring they remain legal tender indefinitely.
- Lack of Credible Evidence: No official announcements or credible reports have supported the viral claim.
The Verdict:
So, does the CBN plan to scrap old naira notes by December 31, 2024?
The answer is FALSE.The Central Bank of Nigeria has clarified that all versions of the N1,000, N500, and N200 naira notes will remain valid for transactions indefinitely. The Supreme Court ruling ensures that Nigerians can use either version without restrictions or deadlines.
A series of images circulating across Facebook, Instagram, X, and WhatsApp appears to show women displaying underwear branded with the photograph of Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf.
The images sparked widespread reactions.
Some social media users accused the governor of turning empowerment programmes into political propaganda. Others mocked what they described as an unusual and inappropriate distribution of government items.
The photographs seemed convincing.
Women could be seen holding up underwear allegedly bearing the governor’s image during what appeared to be a public gathering.
But did the governor actually distribute such items?
WABMA Debunker investigated.
The first step was to determine where the images originated.
A reverse image search led investigators to a video posted by Kano-based influencer and political supporter Fatima Nasir, popularly known as “Teemah Cool.”
The original footage showed women displaying underwear during a political gathering.
But there was a crucial difference.
The underwear visible in the original video did not contain Governor Abba Yusuf’s photograph.
This raised an important question.
If the governor’s image was absent in the original footage, how did it suddenly appear in the viral pictures?
To answer this, further forensic analysis was conducted on the circulating images.
The findings were revealing.
Digital examination showed signs of image manipulation. Analysis using SynthID Verifier detected evidence that portions of the viral images had been edited and artificially generated.
The governor’s photograph appeared to have been digitally inserted into the underwear after the original footage was recorded.
In other words, the images circulating online were not an accurate representation of what participants displayed at the event.
Investigators also examined claims that the underwear formed part of an official empowerment programme sponsored by the Kano State Government.
No evidence was found to support this assertion.
There were no government announcements, policy documents, media briefings, or credible news reports indicating that such items were distributed as part of any state empowerment initiative.
Further checks showed that the original gathering was linked to a political event in Kano during a visit by Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu.
Participants reportedly engaged in symbolic political displays connected to local political rivalries.
Nothing in the available evidence suggests that Governor Abba Yusuf authorized, distributed, or endorsed underwear bearing his image.
So what is really true here?
The gathering shown in the original footage did occur.
Women were seen displaying underwear during the event.
What did not occur was the distribution of underwear branded with Governor Abba Yusuf’s photograph.
That element was added later through digital manipulation.
VERDICT
FALSE.
There is no evidence that Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf distributed women’s underwear branded with his photograph as empowerment items.
The viral images were digitally altered, with the governor’s image inserted into the original footage after it was recorded.
WHY THIS MATTERS
Manipulated images can spread rapidly online and create false impressions about public officials, government programmes, and political events.
As election related discussions intensify across Nigeria, altered photographs and AI generated content are becoming increasingly common tools for misinformation.
Verifying the source of an image and examining whether it has been digitally modified remain essential steps before sharing sensitive political content.
CONCLUSION
The claim is False. Reverse image searches traced the content to an original video posted by influencer Fatima Nasir (“Teemah Cool”), where no governor’s image appeared on the underwear. Forensic analysis found evidence of digital manipulation, and no official government records or credible media reports support the claim.
DID KANO GOVERNOR ABBA YUSUF DISTRIBUTE BRANDED UNDERWEAR TO WOMEN AS EMPOWERMENT ITEMS?
⚧️ Ep. 121–WABMA Fake News Debunker;
