President Goodluck Jonathan is expected to unveil the specially designed commemorative N100 banknote by the Central Bank of Nigeria on Wednesday (today).
The CBN disclosed this in a statement on Monday in Abuja.
The apex bank said the commemorative note was part of its contribution to the centenary celebration and was in tune with its mandate of issuing legal tender currencies for the country.
The statement read in part, “The choice of the N100 denomination is to mark the centenary celebration of Nigeria and is consistent with best global practices for central banks around the world during the celebration of national events.
“Part of the features of the commemorative banknote is the inscription of the theme of the centenary celebration: ‘One Nigeria, Great Promise’ as a micro-text.
“While retaining the portrait of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo on the front, the new note features Nigerian traditional dancers at the back. The commemorative note comes in different dominant colours”.
The new note, according to the statement, is also designed to accommodate additional security features for digital communication, protection against counterfeiting, tolerance to the tropics and ease of recognition of genuineness.
The bank stated that the commemorative note was for the purpose of the centenary celebration and would be circulated alongside the existing N100 note.
Wednesday’s unveiling will be preceded by a brief presentation by the CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, where he will showcase the aesthetic and security features of the note.
It would be recalled that in 2010, the CBN issued commemorative N50 polymer note to mark Nigeria’s 50th Independence Anniversary celebration.
The N100 note bearing the portrait of former Premier of the old Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, was first issued in December 1999.
