CBN Trains over 400 Kano Residents On e-Naira Usage
By Ozumi Abdul
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Wednesday trained over 400 people in Kano state on the usage of the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), popularly called e-Naira.
The training which was held in Gadun Albasa, a suburb of the state had participants drawn from different social and academic backgrounds.
The Deputy Manager of the CBN Digal Team, Abdul Shadrach, said that the main purpose of training the participants was to get them acquainted with the digital version of the Naira, while enlightening them on the benefits of participating in the CBDC ecosystem.
He said the Bank was training the participants on how to make use of the e-Naira platform and also how to train others in their respective families and localities.
Shadrach noted that it is not unfair that when digital products are made available, only the learned people get to benefit from them while leaving the educationally disadvantaged behind.
He added that the Kano event was part of efforts to change the narrative and give everyone a chance to experience the ease and peace that come with digital currency.
He stated that the CBN has the USSD code version of the e-Naira (*997#) which people with little or no literacy can easily access, as against the app on android devices that is more technically difficult for them to operate.
“One of the issues is that most times when we release digital products, it’s only the learned ones that get to benefit and end up relegating the less privileged ones.
“But this time around we want to get it right, to include every single individual, even if you don’t have a smartphone, CBN has the USSD version of the e-Naira platform, you can dial *997# and enjoy the service.
“So that is why you see people gathered here without discrimination on the basis of academic status, and we are hoping that when they go back, they will become ambassadors and teach others in their respective localities,” he said
The CBN top shot also hinted on the need for continuous education of several individuals about not just e-Naira but the ecosystem in its entirety, so as to ease their accessibility of similar products in future.
Shadrach urged Nigerians to fully embrace the federal government’s cashless economy which he said commenced many years ago, adding that it is a journey in sequence.
He then enjoined Nigerians to embrace the policy wholeheartedly despite the harsh effects it is currently having on them in the interim.
