The Nigerian Security Printing and Minting (NSPM) Plc, commonly known as MINT, stressed that best worldwide best practices were followed in their manufacture on Friday while elaborating on why the new Naira notes leave ink when touched on plain white surfaces.
The organization, commonly known as The MINT, is in charge of creating the naira, which serves as Nigeria’s currency.
The managing director of NSPM, Ahmed Halilu, said in a statement on Friday that the company’s attention has been attracted to several videos, sketches, complaints, and comments on various platforms about the quality of the redesigned notes.
Halilu responded to some of the concerns about the new naira notes by saying they were made of the same materials as the old ones and went through the same printing and finishing processes.
“It is, therefore, basically the same as the other notes in circulation,” he explained.
“It is, however, important to note that new banknotes are generally light when issued, then become heavier in circulation on getting in contact with dirt and moisture,” Halilu added.
“In addition, the second stage of currency printing (intaglio) requires a heavy deposit of special inks with fairly large particles to give a tactile feeling of the portraits as well as other raised prints by way of design.
“One of the properties of intaglio inks is non-solubility in water and ease of transfer (light stain) on plain white materials owing to the size of the particles.
“This is generally a security feature of all banknotes that easily differentiates them from forged or counterfeited notes.”
Halilu further said the best international practices have been deployed in the production of the new naira notes, adding that his agency would continue to ensure that it meets international standards.
“The naira is our legal tender and national symbol. We, therefore, urge Nigerians and other users of the naira banknotes not to subject our banknotes to experiment in order to prove a point,” he said.
