By Daniel Ighakpe

Sir: Did you know or have you noticed, that the N200 note and the N50 note are the only Nigeria currency bills that carry artworks portraying agricultural products?

The agricultural products shown on the N200 note include: cows, yams, cocoa, oil palm nuts in a bunch, bags of cocoa forming a pyramid, flowering plants, perhaps cocoyams, as well as other harvested root-crop products. The N50 note portrays fishermen at work with their catch of fish, symbolising the country’s agricultural and economic activity.

The N200 note is the one that has a portrait of Alhaji Sir Ahmadu Bello (1909 – 1996) on the front side, and a variety of agricultural products on the back, while the N50 note does not feature a single historical leader or specific named individual. Instead, the front of the note displays four anonymous portraits representing the diverse people and unity of Nigeria:

• Three men representing Nigeria’s three major ethnic groups: Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba (collectively symbolized by the “Wazobia” theme, where Wa, Zo, and Bia mean “come” in Yoruba, Hausa, and Igbo respectively).

• One woman representing the people of the Middle Belt region of Nigeria.

As a lover of Agriculture, the N200 note and the N50 note are my favourite Nigerian currency notes! 😀

Daniel Ighakpe, a peasant farmer, school teacher and health worker, wrote from FESTAC Town, Lagos.