Nigerian workers, pensioners, and social welfare beneficiaries may soon receive payments through the eNaira under a new Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) strategy aimed at expanding the adoption of the country’s digital currency.
Under the proposal, salaries, pensions, conditional cash transfers, and other government payments could be disbursed through the eNaira platform, potentially transforming how millions of Nigerians access public funds.
The initiative is contained in the Nigeria Payments System Vision 2028 (PSV2028), a new roadmap unveiled by the CBN to transition the eNaira from a pilot project into a mainstream payment channel for government and private-sector transactions.
If adopted and implemented, the move could directly affect federal and state employees, retirees, and beneficiaries of government social intervention programmes.
According to the apex bank, government-to-person payments and payroll processing have been identified as priority use cases for the digital currency as part of efforts to improve payment efficiency and accelerate adoption.
“The transition of CBDC from pilot to core payment rail through defined use cases” is among the objectives outlined in the document.
Launched in October 2021 as Africa’s first central bank digital currency, the eNaira was introduced to promote financial inclusion, lower transaction costs, and support Nigeria’s transition to a digital economy. However, adoption has remained relatively low despite regulatory backing and public awareness campaigns.
The latest proposal signals a renewed effort by the CBN to embed the digital currency into everyday transactions, particularly those involving payments from government to citizens.
For workers and pensioners, the initiative could eventually mean receiving salaries and retirement benefits through digital wallets linked to the eNaira ecosystem rather than through conventional banking channels.
The CBN said it plans to review the existing framework governing the digital currency to ensure greater alignment with prevailing market realities and operational requirements.
The bank also highlighted several features of the eNaira that could enhance government payment programmes. According to the document, the digital currency’s programmable-money capability enables additional functionalities, including purpose-specific payments, payment splitting, sub-wallet creation, and time-bound spending arrangements.
“The programmable money feature of digital currency could have additional features such as time-limits, purpose-specific usage, splitting payments, sub-wallets, etc.,” the CBN stated.
The proposal forms part of a broader strategy to modernise Nigeria’s payments ecosystem through the adoption of digital financial services and emerging technologies.
CBN Governor Dr. Olayemi Cardoso said PSV2028 is designed to strengthen Nigeria’s position as a leading digital payments market while enhancing efficiency, inclusiveness, and resilience across the financial system.
“PSV2028 sets clear strategic priorities: modernising payments infrastructure, strengthening regulatory and supervisory frameworks, accelerating the adoption of digital financial services, and fostering deeper collaboration across stakeholders,” Cardoso said.
The document also indicated that the apex bank intends to deepen existing digital payment initiatives, including contactless payments, open banking, and the eNaira.
Deputy Governor for Economic Policy, Dr. Muhammad Abdullahi, said the strategy would encourage wider adoption of digital currencies and other innovative payment technologies within a regulated framework.
The CBN acknowledged that although millions of eNaira wallets have been created and transactions worth about N22 billion recorded, widespread adoption remains limited.
According to the bank, key challenges include low merchant acceptance, weak integration with banking and fintech platforms, and limited real-world applications.
To address these shortcomings, the apex bank said it intends to reposition the eNaira for government-to-person payments, remittances, and trade settlements, while opening its application programming interfaces to fintech operators.
“Reposition eNaira for G2P, remittances, trade settlement; open APIs for fintech integration; launch bilateral CBDC corridor pilots with priority trade/remittance partners,” the document stated.
The proposal comes at a time when central banks across the world are exploring digital currencies as alternatives to cash and private digital assets.
If implemented, the initiative could significantly alter how employees receive salaries, how pensioners access retirement benefits, and how government welfare programmes are delivered, making digital payments an increasingly central component of Nigeria’s employment and social protection architecture.
