The case on the naira swap policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was heard at the Supreme Court of Nigeria on Wednesday, with a packed courtroom including Senior Advocates of Nigeria, other lawyers, and the governors of Kaduna and Kogi states, Nasir El-Rufai and Yahaya Bello, respectively. The Supreme Court has adjourned the case until Wednesday, February 22, for the hearing of consolidated suits by 10 states.
During the last hearing, the Court had issued a temporary ban on the implementation of the CBN’s February 10 deadline to make the old N200, N500, and N1,000 notes legal tender. The states of Zamfara, Kogi, and Kaduna had instituted the suit against the Federal Government and the CBN.
In addition to the states of Zamfara, Kogi, and Kaduna, other states, including Niger, Kano, Ondo, and Ekiti, had also applied to join the suit against the CBN and the Federal Government.
At the start of the court proceedings, Justice John Okoro led a seven-man panel and emphasized the importance of not losing sight of the case and its impact on the suffering of Nigerians.
The Lagos State Attorney General, Moyosore Onigbanjo, also applied to join the suit, while Bayelsa State, led by Damian Dodo, sought to join as a respondent. Additionally, Edo State also applied to join as a respondent in the suit.
