{"id":17672,"date":"2021-02-15T20:29:03","date_gmt":"2021-02-15T20:29:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ci027cfe70f0032697"},"modified":"2025-10-02T15:07:21","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T20:07:21","slug":"how-nigerians-are-reacting-to-the-cryptocurrency-ban","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/business\/how-nigerians-are-reacting-to-the-cryptocurrency-ban","title":{"rendered":"How Nigerians Are Reacting To The Cryptocurrency Ban"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"bsf_rt_marker\"><\/div><figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/tmx-paycase-cryptocurrency-deal-leads-to-lawsuit.jpg\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li>The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said that its decision to ban cryptocurrency was necessary to prevent crimes and mitigate risks<\/li>\n<li>Several Nigerians have condemned the move and believe the ban has some political undertone beyond those stated reasonings<\/li>\n<li>The Senate of Nigeria has summoned the CBN governor to explain the decision to ban cryptocurrency.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In a move that sparked outrage on social media earlier this month, the CBN <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DocumentingBTC\/status\/1357679262908694529\/photo\/1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">issued a reminder<\/a> to regulated financial institutions in the country that a 2017 regulation prohibits them from dealing in cryptocurrencies or facilitating payments for cryptocurrency exchanges.<\/p>\n<p>Following the outrage that greeted the incident, the CBN released a press statement that explained the rationale for its reminder. According to the statement from Acting Director of Corporate Communications Osita Nwanisobi, banning cryptocurrency facilitation is necessary because they are used to commit crimes. It specifically mentioned terrorism and money laundering as crimes perpetrated with cryptocurrency. It also made reference to the Silk Road, the darknet site where cryptocurrency was used to buy drugs and other illicit goods.<\/p>\n<h2>CBN\u2019s Reasoning For Banning Cryptocurrency<\/h2>\n<p>The CBN also claimed in its statement that the ban was necessary because of the risks involved in the speculative market, saying Nigerians must be protected.<\/p>\n<p>However, several young Nigerians believe this ban to be a consequence of the <a href=\"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/articles\/nigerian-protest-group-finds-sovereign-lifeline-in-bitcoin\">End SARS protests<\/a>. The protests were part of a massive campaign in November 2020 against police brutality in the country. The protest started as a hashtag on social media, but soon developed into in-person protests that shut several cities down for days.<\/p>\n<p>As part of the moves to stop the protests, the CBN directed banks to freeze the accounts of individuals associated with the protest. This was likely done with the belief that if funding was cut, the protests will stop.<\/p>\n<p>But this move failed to work, as donations were sent in bitcoin to fund the necessary logistics of the protests. The movement also received the support of Twitter cofounder Jack Dorsey. Many believe that the reminder of the CBN ban on cryptocurrency facilitation is additional government retaliation.<\/p>\n<h2>Reactions<\/h2>\n<p>Nigeria ranks as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?q=nigeria+crypto+market+size&amp;rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS751US751&amp;oq=nigeria+crypto+market+size&amp;aqs=chrome..69i57j33i22i29i30l2.3370j0j4&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">second-largest bitcoin market after the United States<\/a> in volume traded via the exchange Paxful. It is therefore not surprising that the news of the ban reminder was taken badly on social media. Several people highlighted the reminder as further proof of the anti-youth agenda of the government in power.<\/p>\n<p>Following recently-released regulatory proposals for cryptocurrency investments from Nigeria\u2019s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), others also pointed out the divergence in decision making among financial regulators. This suggests the absence of cooperation between the governmental institutions regulating Nigeria&#8217;s financial sector. The SEC has put its regulatory plans on hold following the CBN ban reminder.<\/p>\n<p>Cryptocurrency exchanges operating in Nigeria have also ceased accepting or facilitating transactions involving the naira. Many of these platforms informed their users of the decision on social media.<\/p>\n<p>The CEO of the biggest cryptocurrency exchange platform in the world, Binance, <\/p>\n<p>This is what happens when one tries to &#8220;ban crypto&#8221; ?.<\/p>\n<p>If you have <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/search?q=%2524NGN&amp;src=ctag&amp;ref_src=twsrc%255Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">$NGN<\/a> on Binance, you can:<br \/>1. withdraw NGN soon, or<br \/>2. convert to <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/crypto?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%255Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#crypto<\/a> and hold it<\/p>\n<p>It is likely that the Nigeria banks will stop working with exchanges. P2P trading will likely flourish as a result. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/GhA6M2GMOg\">https:\/\/t.co\/GhA6M2GMOg<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 CZ ? Binance (@cz_binance) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/cz_binance\/status\/1357749065878937602?ref_src=twsrc%255Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">February 5, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;&gt;used Twitter to instruct users to withdraw their naira on the exchange or convert it to cryptocurrency.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/cz_binance\/status\/1357749065878937602\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/twitter.com\/cz_binance\/status\/1357749065878937602<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Speaking about the Binance withdrawal of baira transactions, local economist Nonso Obikili <\/p>\n<p>How important is crypto in Nigeria? On binance today the value of BTC\/NGN trades was worth N13.4bn. For context the volume of trade on the Nigerian stock exchange today was N5.6bn. And binance is just one exchange.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Nonso Obikili (@nonso2) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nonso2\/status\/1357753191073533952?ref_src=twsrc%255Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">February 5, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;&gt;noted the importance of Binance in the cryptocurrency industry in Nigeria. According to him, the daily volume of naira-crypto transactions on Binance surpassed that on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.<\/p>\n<p>He stated that, while trade volume on the Nigeria stock exchange was 5.6 billion naira on February 5, 2021, that of BTC\/NGN trades on Binance alone was 13.4 billion naira. Considering that Binance is just one exchange out of many, the overall transactions would likely be far higher.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">How important is crypto in Nigeria? On binance today the value of BTC\/NGN trades was worth N13.4bn. For context the volume of trade on the Nigerian stock exchange today was N5.6bn. And binance is just one exchange.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Nonso Obikili (@nonso2) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nonso2\/status\/1357753191073533952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">February 5, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Also, tweeting about the Binance statement, crypto enthusiasts have said that Nigerians do not need to panic. According to Nigerian blockchain engineer <\/p>\n<p>Do not deposit naira again on Binance<\/p>\n<p>Immediately swap your naira for USDT if you have naira balance<\/p>\n<p>Do not sell your crypto assets in panic.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s a global trading system that CANNOT be affected by Nigeria CBN policies.<\/p>\n<p>Decentralized Finance is the future.<\/p>\n<p>You can&#8217;t stop it!<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Tosin Olugbenga (@TosinOlugbenga) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TosinOlugbenga\/status\/1357760709422104578?ref_src=twsrc%255Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">February 5, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;&gt;Tosin Olugbemiga, all that a user needs to do is avoid depositing on the platform. It is also necessary for the user to exchange any naira balance for USDT.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Do not deposit naira again on Binance<\/p>\n<p>Immediately swap your naira for USDT if you have naira balance<\/p>\n<p>Do not sell your crypto assets in panic.<\/p>\n<p>It&#39;s a global trading system that CANNOT be affected by Nigeria CBN policies.<\/p>\n<p>Decentralized Finance is the future.<\/p>\n<p>You can&#39;t stop it!<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Tosin Olugbenga (@TosinOlugbenga) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TosinOlugbenga\/status\/1357760709422104578?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">February 5, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Many Nigerians also questioned the logic behind the CBN reminder, saying that there is no rational argument for it and that, given its effects, it might run contrary to the promises of the current administration to take 100 million Nigerians out of poverty.<\/p>\n<p>A social media commentator, Japhet Omojuwa, tweeted that the <\/p>\n<p>You can\u2019t trade crypto via a Nigerian bank without your BVN. Followed by a standard KYC protocol. There is no secrecy here. There are limits to transfers and other checks. This has nothing to do with anything other than the typical government standing against the people! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/QqQWV7unpF\">https:\/\/t.co\/QqQWV7unpF<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 JJ. Omojuwa (@Omojuwa) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Omojuwa\/status\/1357738760960622601?ref_src=twsrc%255Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">February 5, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;&gt;CBN cannot claim that crypto traders in Nigeria are anonymous. This is because of the processes involved in owning a bank account in Nigeria, from having a bank verification number to the KYC regulations in place to ensure that banks know their customers.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">You can\u2019t trade crypto via a Nigerian bank without your BVN. Followed by a standard KYC protocol. There is no secrecy here. There are limits to transfers and other checks. This has nothing to do with anything other than the typical government standing against the people! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/QqQWV7unpF\">https:\/\/t.co\/QqQWV7unpF<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; JJ. Omojuwa (@Omojuwa) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Omojuwa\/status\/1357738760960622601?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">February 5, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Others mentioned other social issues currently plaguing the country, such as herdsmen attacks. As Twitter user <\/p>\n<p>Nigeria can ban crypto trading overnight, but has been discussing on banning open grazing for almost a decade??<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 ebovi wali (@ebovi_wali) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ebovi_wali\/status\/1357677191337771010?ref_src=twsrc%255Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">February 5, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;&gt;Ebovi Wali pointed out, there is irony in a government debating open grazing regulations for many years, but quickly banning cryptocurrency.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Nigeria can ban crypto trading overnight, but has been discussing on banning open grazing for almost a decade??<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Ebovi Wali Global \ud83d\udedc\ud83c\udf0d (@eboviwaliglobal) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/eboviwaliglobal\/status\/1357677191337771010?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">February 5, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>In addition, according to <\/p>\n<p>I just spoke with a foreign investor that invested in Gokada and a crypto startup in Nigeria. He&#8217;s really worried.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Adewale Yusuf (@AdewaleYusuf_) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AdewaleYusuf_\/status\/1357800840149483523?ref_src=twsrc%255Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">February 5, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;&gt;Adewale Yusuf, CEO of TalentQL, government policies restricting cryptocurrency business for startups could be discouraging foreign investors.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I just spoke with a foreign investor that invested in Gokada and a crypto startup in Nigeria. He&#39;s really worried.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Adewale Yusuf (@AdewaleYusuf_) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AdewaleYusuf_\/status\/1357800840149483523?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">February 5, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Other investors also noted that the new policy doesn\u2019t address the reason behind the adoption of cryptocurrency by Nigerians and the monetary problems. Thus, policies such as this <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/_LXRE__\/status\/1357674197699461123?ref_src=twsrc%255Etfw%257Ctwcamp%255Etweetembed%257Ctwterm%255E1357674197699461123%257Ctwgr%255E%257Ctwcon%255Es1_c10&amp;ref_url=https%253A%252F%252Fnairametrics.com%252F2021%252F02%252F07%252Fhow-social-media-reacted-to-the-cbn-crypto-ban%252F\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">might push investors<\/a> and even tech startups to go to other African countries.<\/p>\n<p>Former vice president of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakr, also <a href=\"https:\/\/m.guardian.ng\/news\/nigeria\/national\/atiku-tackles-cbn-calls-for-reversal-of-ban-on-cryptocurrencies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">condemned<\/a> the ban. From his point of view, it would potentially reduce inflow of capital into Nigeria.<\/p>\n<h2>Lawmakers Summon CBN\u2019s Governor<\/h2>\n<p>In light of the uproar surrounding the ban, the senate\u2019s upper chamber has <a href=\"https:\/\/m.guardian.ng\/news\/senate-summons-cbn-sec-over-ban-on-cryptocurrency\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">called<\/a> for CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele to appear before it and explain the decision. The Securities and Exchange Commission has also been summoned.<\/p>\n<p>The senate resolved after considering a <a href=\"https:\/\/techpoint.africa\/2021\/02\/11\/nigerian-senate-lifeline-crypto\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">motion raised<\/a> by senators Istifanus Dung Gyang and Adetokumbo Mukhail Abiru. The senators raised the motion to discuss the issue and stated that cryptocurrency appears as an opportunity as well as a threat.<\/p>\n<p>It was co-sponsored by Senator Mukhail Adetokumbo Abiru, who made arguments supporting and against cryptocurrency transactions in the country. He pointed out the various risks associated with it and the threats it poses.<\/p>\n<p>However, he also outlined the several benefits of cryptocurrency and its gradual adoption by institutional investors. In his opinion, the CBN ban will not stop the economic benefits of cryptocurrency transactions. Thus, it is necessary to have a holistic view of the issue.<\/p>\n<p>The motion was finally passed after Senator Hassan Hadejia moved for an amendment that will allow the senate committees on ICT and cybercrimes, capital markets, banking, insurance and other financial institutions, to analyze the issue.<\/p>\n<p><em>This is a guest post by Oluwapelumi Adejumo. Opinions expressed are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc or <\/em>Bitcoin Magazine<em>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A rule in Nigeria banning financial institutions from facilitating cryptocurrency activity has elicited a range of reactions from citizens.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3283,"featured_media":17673,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[220],"class_list":{"0":"post-17672","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business","8":"tag-nigeria"},"author_data":{"id":3283,"name":"Oluwapelumi Adejumo","nicename":"oluwapelumi-adejumo","avatar_url":"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/oluwapelumi-adejumo-promo-image-96x96.jpg"},"featured_image_url":"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/tmx-paycase-cryptocurrency-deal-leads-to-lawsuit.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17672","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3283"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17672"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17672\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17673"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17672"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17672"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17672"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}