CBN Debunks Viral N5,000 Note Featuring Tinubu’s Image

The Central Bank of Nigeria has dismissed as fake a viral image claiming to show a new N5,000 banknote featuring the portrait of President Bola Tinubu.

The image spread rapidly across social media on Thursday, with some users claiming the CBN had released a sample of the new denomination. The apex bank wasted no time shutting it down.

“This content is fake. Let the public be guided,” the CBN posted on its official X account.

The viral image appears to be a photoshopped creation designed to look like an official naira note. It’s the latest in a string of fabricated currency images that have circulated online, often timed to coincide with political tensions or economic anxieties.

This particular fake comes at a sensitive time. Nigerians are still dealing with the economic fallout from the 2023 naira redesign and cash swap chaos that disrupted businesses and daily life across the country. Any suggestion of a new denomination — especially one bearing a politician’s image — is bound to trigger strong reactions.

The CBN has urged the public to disregard the image and only trust information from its official channels. But as image manipulation tools become more accessible, distinguishing real from fake is only getting harder.