Nigerian naira
Nigerian naira
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Nigerian naira

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Nigerian naira

The naira (sign: ; code: NGN; Yoruba: náírà, Hausa: نَيْرَ, romanized: naira, Igbo: naịra, Tyap: nera) is the currency of Nigeria. One naira is divided into 100 kobo.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is the sole issuer of legal tender money throughout the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It controls the volume of money supplied in the economy in order to ensure monetary and price stability. The Currency Operations Department of the CBN is in charge of currency management, through the designs, procurement, distribution and supply, processing, reissue and disposal or disintegration of bank notes and coins.

A major cash crunch occurred in February 2023 when the Nigerian government used a currency note changeover—delivering too few of the new notes into circulation—to attempt to force citizens to use a newly created government-sponsored central bank digital currency. This led to extensive street protests.

The naira was introduced on 1 January 1973, replacing the Nigerian pound at a rate of £1 = ₦2. The coins of the new currency were the first coins issued by an independent Nigeria, as all circulating coins of the Nigerian pound were all struck by the colonial government of the Federation of Nigeria in 1959, with the name of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse. This also made Nigeria the last country in the world to abandon the £sd currency system in favour of a decimal currency system. There was a government plan to redenominate the naira at 100:1 in 2008, but the plan was suspended. The currency sign is U+20A6 NAIRA SIGN.

The name "Naira" was coined from the word "Nigeria" by Obafemi Awolowo. However, Naira as a currency was launched by Shehu Shagari as minister of finance in 1973.

The Central Bank of Nigeria claimed that they attempted to control the annual inflation rate below 10%. In 2011, the CBN increased key interest rate six times, rising from 6.25% to 12%. On 31 January 2012, the CBN decided to maintain the key interest rate at 12%, in order to reduce the impact of inflation due to a reduction in fuel subsidies.

From 20 June 2016, the naira was allowed to float, after being pegged at ₦197 to US$1 for several months. Trade[according to whom?] speculated the natural range of the naira would be between ₦280 and ₦350 to the dollar.[needs update]

In October 2021, the eNaira, the digital version of the state currency, was officially launched in Nigeria by President Muhammadu Buhari.

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