Naira Exchange Rate Remains Flat Against US Dollar and Euro on Black Market

The Naira remained unchanged on Tuesday despite the curfews and social unrest that grounded the nation’s economy.

Naira traded at N463 against the United States dollar on the black market on Tuesday morning, the same rate it exchanged on Thursday.

Against the European common currency, the Nigerian Naira exchanged at N540 to a single Euro.

However, the local currency dipped slightly against the British Pounds as it exchanged at N595 to a British Pound, representing a N3 decline from N592 it traded on Friday.

Social unrest amid weak economic fundamentals continued to weigh on Nigeria’s local currency, especially with Foreign Direct Investment expected to drop in the final quarter of the year through the first quarter of 2021.

This coupled with weak foreign reserves and a drop in global demand for crude oil is expected to compound Nigeria’s economic woes.

Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has said Nigeria’s commercial capital needs at least N1 trillion to fix the destruction and vandalisation that trailed the #EndSARS protest in the state. An amount equivalent to the state’s annual budget.

Experts, who spoke on the situation, said it would hurt the nation’s output and may plunge fourth-quarter GDP by as much as 6.9 percent. These rising uncertainties amid the second wave of COVID-19 and possible lockdown in key trading partners could further plunge Naira value against global counterparts in the fourth quarter of the year.