The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has opposed a lawsuit seeking the removal of Ajami (Arabic) inscriptions on Nigeria's currency.

A Lagos-based lawyer, Chief Malcolm Omirhobo, had filed a lawsuit seeking that the Arabic inscriptions on the Naira notes be removed as he claimed that it portrays Nigeria as an Islamic State, 

He stated that this violates sections 10 and 55 of the Nigerian constitution, which makes the country a secular state.

Section 10 reads: “The Government of the federation or of a state shall not adopt any religion as State religion.”

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Section 55 states that: "The business of the National Assembly shall be conducted in English, Hausa,Ibo and Yoruba when adequate arrangements have been made therefore."

Omirhobo prayed the court to restrain the CBN from “further approving, printing and issuing naira notes with Arabic inscriptions, bearing in mind that Nigeria is a secular state.”

He further prayed the court to order the CBN to replace the Arabic inscriptions with either English language, which is the country’s official language or any of Nigeria’s three main indigenous languages ,Hausa, Yoruba or Igbo.

During the hearing on Monday, November 9, the apex bank told Justice Mohammed Liman of a Lagos Federal High Court that "it would cost the tax-paying Nigerians and the federal government colossal sum of money to discard the existing naira notes and print new ones in satisfaction of the plaintiff.”

CBN said Ajami is not a symbol of Islam but an inscription to help illiterates and non-english speakers trade using Naira notes.

In its counter-affidavit deposed to by AbiolaLawal, the CBN argued: “Ajami inscriptions on some of the country’s currencies do not connote any religious statements or Arabian alignment.”

It said: “The inscriptions on the country’s currencies do not and at no time have they threatened the secular statehood of the nation or have they violated the constitution of Nigeria, as every design and inscription was finalised with the approval of the relevant government bodies.”

It explained that “Ajami inscriptions” on the naira notes dates back to the colonial era “and they do not imply that Arabic is an official language in Nigeria.”

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The CBN said: “The naira notes retained the inscriptions with Ajami since 1973 when the name of the Nigerian currency was changed to naira from pounds.

“The Ajami was inscribed on the country’s currency by the colonialists to aid those without Western education in certain parts of the country, who, back then, constituted a larger part of the populace.

“The Ajami is not a symbol or mark of Islam but an inscription to aid the populace uneducated in Western education in ease of trade.”

Omirhobo has also filed a suit before the Lagos Court seeking the removal of Arabic inscriptions from the Nigerian Army logo.

The hearing comes up today, November 10, before Justice Liman.

However, the army has also opposed Omirhobo’s suit and urged the court to dismiss it.