Naira Declines to N417.19 Against the U.S. Dollar at CBN Forex Section

The Nigerian Naira declined further against the United States Dollar at the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) section of foreign exchange on Wednesday.

The local currency lost N0.29 or 0.07% against the American Dollar to exchange at N417.19. On Monday, the apex bank sold the U.S. Dollar at N416.9 to Deposit Money Banks (CBN), Investors King‘s research has shown.

But growing economic uncertainties amid the recent rate increase, high dollar demand by both politicians and genuine businesses looking to import raw materials, and weak economic fundamentals have plunged the Naira to N417.19 against its global counterpart.

In the unregulated black market, the Naira remained under pressure as it was exchanged at N630, a much-improved rate when compared to N750 it traded about a week ago.

Despite the apex bank discouraging patronage at that section of forex, Nigerians in need of forex have continued to patronise the black market. Most of them claimed the Deposit Money Banks mandated by the CBN to sell to them are merely collecting Dollar request forms without sales.

At the Investors & Exporters (I&E) forex window, the story is not any different as the local currency shed N0.29, or 0.34% from N427.90 it opens the day against the United States Dollar to close at N429.20. Investors and exporters at the I&E forex window transacted $123.78 million worth of dollars on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the President of the Association of Bureau De Change Operators of Nigeria ABCON, Alhaji Aminu Gwadabe, in an interview on Saturday, called on the CBN to abolish the official pegged exchange rate and allow the forces of demand and supply to determine an appropriate exchange rate for the Naira.

He said “It might sound counterintuitive but the way out of the current frenzy is to abolish the official fixed exchange rate and allow the Naira to float.

“CBN should contemporaneously undertake a large-scale dollar intervention in the open market that can inspire confidence in the Naira and checkmate the current tailspin.

“Once there is a significant positive movement, the market will react and, in all probability, spur an avalanche of panic selling and further buoy the Naira,” Gwadabe said.