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5 Naira
| Issuer | Central Bank of Nigeria |
|---|---|
| Year | 1979-1984 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Naira (1973-date) |
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| Obverse description | Portrait of Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa at left, set against a green and blue guilloche underprint with stylized Naira currency symbols at each corner. The denomination is inscribed in the upper centre, with the issuer's name across the top. Two manuscript signatures appear at the lower centre, attributed to the Governor and Director of Domestic Operations respectively, with the signatory titles printed below. |
|---|---|
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| Protection type | Watermark |
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| Comments |
Nigeria's second naira series replaced the first in 1979 as part of a broader effort to redesign currency following the post-civil war monetary consolidation of the early 1970s. The P#20 ran through 1984, when the Buhari military government's currency exchange of that year — which required all citizens to swap old notes for new ones within a tight deadline — effectively killed off much of the circulating stock. The exchange was deliberately short, and large quantities of unredeemed notes were rendered worthless overnight.
Survivors from the 1979–1981 date range tend to show heavier wear than later printings, consistent with high-velocity urban circulation in Lagos and Kano during those years.