20 Nigerian Naira Paper Banknote (General Murtala Muhammed Type 1977)

20 Naira (Issued 1977-1984)

Issued during one of the most turbulent chapters in Nigerian political history, this twenty naira banknote was produced in the years following the short but consequential rule of General Murtala Ramat Muhammed, who seized power in a military coup in July 1975 before his assassination in February 1976. His legacy was considered so significant to Nigeria’s national identity that the Central Bank of Nigeria placed his portrait on the twenty naira note, cementing his status as a revolutionary figure of the post-civil war era. The note circulated through the late years of military governance and into the Second Republic under President Shehu Shagari, spanning a defining period of economic expansion driven by Nigeria’s oil revenues. This issue represents the modernised iteration of the second series, bearing revised security and design characteristics that distinguished it from earlier printings.

On the front, the dominant feature is a finely engraved portrait of General Murtala Ramat Muhammed (1938–1976), rendered in a detailed intaglio style that captures his features in three-quarter profile against a lightly shaded background. He is depicted wearing a military uniform with visible epaulettes, and a small caption beneath the portrait reads “General Murtala R. Mohammed 1938–1976,” confirming the identification. The note’s overall colour palette on the obverse is a warm composition of olive green, golden yellow, and rust orange, with the left-hand side of the note presenting the portrait within a rectangular frame bordered by intricate guilloché scroll-work in layered green and orange tones. To the right of the portrait, an elaborate circular guilloché rosette pattern in gold and green fills the centre-right field, providing the principal anti-counterfeiting decorative element. The denomination “₦20” appears prominently in the upper left and lower left corners, as well as on the right side of the note, while the words “TWENTY NAIRA” are printed in bold serif type across the upper centre field. The issuing authority is identified in bold capital letters along the top of the note reading “CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA.” Arabic script appears in a panel to the right of the portrait, providing the denomination in Arabic numerals consistent with Nigeria’s multilingual printing conventions. The serial number, printed in dark ink, reads C/41 137678 and appears both in the upper right corner and along the lower left of the note. Two signatures are printed at the lower centre: one attributed to the Governor and the other to the Director of Domestic Operations, with both signatures rendered in a flowing cursive style clearly legible beneath their respective titles.

The reverse is composed in a harmonious palette of olive, gold, and soft pink tones, with decorative guilloché border patterns framing the entire face of the note in layered geometric and floral motifs. On the left side, a large circular watermark zone is set within a heavily engraved panel bearing the curved text “CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA” arranged around its circumference, the lettering printed in dark olive against a lighter guilloché ground. The centrepiece of the reverse is the Nigerian national coat of arms, positioned in the right-centre field and rendered with considerable engraved detail. The arms depict a black shield bearing a white wavy pall representing the confluence of the Niger and Benue rivers, flanked by two white horses rearing upright as supporters. Above the shield a black eagle is shown with wings spread, and beneath the shield a green ribbon bears the national motto “UNITY AND FAITH” in clearly legible capital letters. The coat of arms is set within an ornate engraved oval frame decorated with radiating lines and scroll details. The denomination “₦20” appears in the upper left and upper right corners of the reverse, and the bold caption “TWENTY NAIRA” runs along the lower centre of the note in large serif capitals, printed in dark ink against the golden background band that spans the full width of the lower section.

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Other Nigerian Naira you can exchange: 5, 10, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000.