The Central Bank of Nigeria has stated that it will not be held responsible for any interruption, loss of revenue or loss of services arising from the use of the eNaira website.
This came up following the disappearance of the just-launched eNaira app from Google Play Store on Wednesday after about 100,000 users had downloaded it.
The spokesperson for the CBN, Mr. Osita Nwanisobi, said the development was to enable the app to be upgraded.
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“There is an upgrade going at the moment by Google; try in the next few hours,” Nwanisobi said
The CBN has warned that it won’t bear liability for any loss caused by e-currency websites,
On the CBN’s eNaira website, www.enaira.gov.ng, the apex bank warned users that it would not be held liable for the loss or corruption of data.
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The limitation of liability read,
“In no event will the CBN or its directors, officers, employees, independent contractors, affiliates or agents, or any of its or their respective service providers, be liable to you or any third party for any use, interruption, delay or inability to use the eNaira website, lost revenues or profits, delays, interruption or loss of services, business or goodwill, loss or corruption of data, loss resulting from system or system service failure, malfunction or shutdown, failure to accurately transfer, read or transmit information, failure to update or provide correct information, system incompatibility or provision of incorrect compatibility information or breaches in system security, or for any consequential, incidental, indirect, exemplary, special or punitive damages, whether arising out of or in connection with the use of the eNaira website.”
A Lagos-based lawyer Inibehe Effiong, who spoke to PUNCH on Wednesday, said the CBN’s attempt to shift liability was illegal.
He said;
“The limitation of liability clause is obnoxious and unnecessarily draconian. The manner in which it is drafted is suggestive of the fact that the CBN has no confidence in the durability, credibility, and reliability of the eNaira website. If commercial banks are to be held liable for losses incurred by their customers, there’s no reason by the CBN should be accorded absolute exemption from liability.
“Part of the problem with the eNaira is that the role of the CBN is conflicted. The CBN is established primarily as a regulatory agency with a limited allowance for commercial, particularly governmental and intergovernmental transactions.
“Since the eNaira is a product of the CBN and not essential controlled by commercial institutions, the CBN should bear some form of responsibility for the use of the eNaira platform.”
He added
A mobile developer said an app could be missing on the store for a myriad of reasons. According to the developer, it could be because the app has flouted one of Google’s policies or because the developers took it down.
The developer said,
“If the developers removed it, it could be that the app was not functioning as expected or they realised it was violating a google policy. If it was Google that removed it, it is either they were reported or/and violated a policy.”
The apex bank, in a statement on Wednesday, explained that the impostor handle was posting messages related to the eNaira with the intent of wooing unsuspecting Nigerians with claims that the CBN was disbursing the sum of N50bn eNaira.
The statement was captioned, “Beware of fraudsters, fake eNaira social media handles” read;
“Following the formal launch of the eNaira on Monday, October 25, 2021, the attention of the CBN has been drawn to criminal and illegal activities of some individuals and a fraudulent twitter handle, @enaira_cbdc purported to belong to the Bank.
“The impostor handle and fraudulent persons have been posting messages related to the eNaira with the intent of wooing unsuspecting Nigerians with claims that the Central Bank of Nigeria, among other falsities, is disbursing the sum of 50bn eNaira currency.
“These impostors are bent on defrauding innocent and unsuspecting members of the public through the links attached to their messages for application to obtain eNaira wallets and become beneficiaries of the said 50bn eNaira currency.”
