Nigeria’s Central Bank opened a media campaign on Monday to try to discourage people from defacing or abusing the naira currency or hiding it in their underwear.
In adverts on television, radio and in the press, the Central Bank said the naira should be handled with care and not defaced, squeezed, stained, torn or written on.
Most Nigerian notes are torn, dirty or defaced.
At festivities, some Nigerians paste naira notes on fellow party-goers in a show of affluence or appreciation. People also often write on them, and women traders and bus operators sometimes hide naira notes in their underwear, where they can be defaced by sweat.
”Neatly arrange your money in pockets, wallets or pouches,” a Central Bank advertisement advises.
The campaign is part of government economic and fiscal reforms, officials said. — Sapa-AFP