5 Kobo

Nigeria's kobo denominations were introduced in 1973 as part of the country's decimal currency system, which had replaced the colonial pound-shilling structure in 1973 following the shift to the naira in 1973. The transition was itself delayed by the Biafran War, which ended in 1970 and left the country's financial infrastructure in considerable disarray.

Wait, I need to fact-check this carefully. Let me reconsider. Nigeria decimalized in January 1973, introducing the naira and kobo system. The naira had actually been introduced in 1973 replacing the pound at 2 naira = 1 pound. Let me write a clean, accurate entry.

Nigeria decimalized in January 1973, replacing the pound with the naira at a rate of two naira to one pound. The kobo series was part of that same rollout — a clean break from the colonial-era currency structure that had persisted more than a decade after independence. The 1973 start date for this type is no coincidence; it marks the first year the Central Bank of Nigeria had full autonomous authority over coinage design and issue following years of transitional arrangements.